09 June 2006
Water firms are writing off £960m a year in unpaid bills, a House of Lords committee has revealed.
Lord Selborne, chair of the science and technology select committee's water management sub-committee, said peers were 'shocked by the number of people who fail to pay their bills'.
Many people, he said, 'know they can't be cut off, so there's no reason to pay their bill.
'Every one of us pays an extra £10 to cover their bill.'
In a report this week, the committee recommended that persistent non-payers should have their supply restricted to levels required for basic health.
The report also calls for greater use of water meters, and urgent action to cut leakage.
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