Call for water to be metered

Lib Dems say meters would save £20 on average water bills

Water meters should be introduced to all households to cut over-consumption, the Liberal Democrats have argued.

They would also avoid the need for hosepipe bans, help the environment and lead to lower bills, it was claimed.

Spokesman Norman Baker said the party's concern had been sparked by a threats of a drought in the current heatwave.

But consumers would also save money, he said.

"The average bill, if you are metered, is £20 less than if you are unmetered," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme

"So there is a clear benefit to the consumer, but additionally, there are environmental benefits.

It is not radical to say we should pay for what we use Norman Baker Liberal Democrats

"It is not radical to say we should pay for what we use.

"After all, that is the basis on which we approach anything in the world including gas and electricity."

Special help would be available for large families on low incomes, Mr Baker said.

"It is actually less bureaucracy because at the moment you have a system where the water bill is based on the theoretical amount of money you can get from renting out your house in 1973," he said.

"That is a pretty indefensible system on which to go into this century."

'Higher bills'

However, Maxine Holdsworth, of the National Consumer Council, warned meters would not mean lower bills for all.

"At the moment we have a bizarre system whereby you can chose to have a meter in your house and so the only people who choose are people who save water anyway," she said.

"Of course the water companies still have to finance it somehow, so it puts up the bill for everyone else."