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Water-metered families risk ill health to save money

Families on low income, and especially those with children, are likely to suffer as a result of the introduction of water metering, says Save the Children Fund.

The charity - more usually associated with improving children’s access to clean water in developing countries - has recently published reserach on the impact of water metering on low income families. Its survey found that 70 per cent were taking steps to reduce their use of water.

On average, families which the SCF spoke to were paying about £4.35per week for water, with those with more children paying more. About four per cent of the weekly budget went on water bills, compared with an average of one per cent nationally.

The survey was carried out on two newly built housing estates in Essex and Middlesex. One respondent said: ‘Since I had a new baby the bill is really going to go up. The washing machine, bathing - it’s worse the more children you have.’

Common measures to economise included sharing baths, washing clothes less often, flushing the toilet less often and preventing children from playing with water. The report argues that, in the longer term, children may be exposed to greater health risks as a result, such as dysentery, hepatitis A and body lice.

Sophie Laws, head of research for the fund, said: ‘Water for basic human needs should be affordable for all families, but the families we spoke to in our research say they are having to put their children’s health and welfare on the line simply because they cannot afford to pay for water.’

Water tight: the impact of water metering on low-income families. SCF, 17 Grove Lane, London SE5 8RD. £8.00.