Calls to speed up water metering

Water companies are being urged to share good practice

Calls for water companies to speed up installation of meters have come from the South East England Regional Assembly (Seera).

Planners at Seera also said more must be done to guarantee water supplies in the area.

They called for more ambitious targets for installing meters, which they said currently varied between companies.

They also wanted firms to share good practice on water efficiency, tariffs and cutting carbon emissions.

'Need to act'

Seera wants to see water companies sharing resources more effectively.

It also wants firms to work with housing officers to improve water efficiency in new and existing homes.

It follows a recent announcement that water companies are raising their prices.

Councillor Moira Gibson, chairwoman of the planning committee, said: "We don't really think about when and how we use water but it is a valuable resource and as it becomes more expensive we need to act."

Water companies in the South East include Southern Water, South East Water, Sutton and East Surrey Water, and Folkestone and Dover Water.