Archived press release
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Water customers put conservation before Keilder scheme
23 May 1996
Friends of the Earth welcomes a report from Ofwat published today (23 May) saying that Yorkshire Water customers do not want to see developments like the controversial Keilder water transfer scheme but would rather the company sort out its leaky pipes.
Ofwat's report found that householders in Bradford, the people that suffered most from Yorkshire Water's mismanagement of resources last summer,thought pipes should be repaired before new water supplies and infrastructure are developed [1].
Matt Phillips, biodiversity campaigner at Friends of the Earth said:"Yorkshire Water, which has made 557million in profit since 1990-91,would do well to listen to this clear message from its customers. Rather than splashing out on this expensive and potentially environmentally damaging scheme, it should spend the money on repairing and replacing pipes."
The scheme proposed by Yorkshire Water would involve transfering water from Keilder Water in Northumberland through a number of sensitive rivers and could potentially have a severe impact on the Rivers Wiske, Ure, Swale and Derwent in Yorkshire, influencing sites of national and international importance.
ENDS
NOTES TO EDITORS:
[1] The report [Research by Design. (1996). The Drought of 1995. The Customers' Perspective in Bradford. Ofwat, Birmingham.] says: "Rather than investing in new water supplies and infrastructure, customers want the existing water stocks conserved. They want the repair of pipes to be given priority. Media reports that 25 per cent of water is lost through leakage is not acceptable to customers [sic]."
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Published by Friends of the Earth Trust
Last modified: Sep 2008
