Here is the email sent to Veolia Water Central requesting exemption from the ban, please feel free to use it or any part of it to help change Veolia Waters stance.
Dear Company Secretary
Ref: Temporary Use Ban
I operate a domestic window cleaning business with operators using water fed poles and I am very concerned about restrictions imposed in the forthcoming temporary use ban.
In the question and answers document accessed from the drought page of your website you state:
We are window cleaning business, are we affected?
Yes. You may not use a hosepipe to clean the windows of domestic premises. Hosepipes can still be used for cleaning windows of commercial premises but please make every effort to conserve water.
I am a window cleaning company and I fill my water tank from home for use at private properties. AmI affected by the ban?
You cannot fill up your tank with a hosepipe for use in washing windows or use a hose system connected to the mains to wash domestic windows.
Each of our vehicles carries water, which we use to clean domestic windows, we do not connect to the domestic supply, we work in accordance to the current working at height regulations and we only use water fed poles, we do not own and are not trained in the use of ladders.
As there is no viable alternative to the water fed pole, according to your guidelines we will have no alternative other that to cease trading destroying the livelihoods of operators and the many years of hard work that has gone into building this business.
We understand the importance of water to our business, we have always been respectful in its use and constantly look at ways to reduce consumption, we appreciate these are difficult times and we will implement traditional methods wherever possible.
Thames, Anglian and Southern Water to name but a few have taken a measured approach to the temporary use ban as outlined in these exemptions.
Southern Water
http://www.southernwater.co.uk/Environment/WaterResourcesLatest/restrictionsNotice.asp Exceptions
The following are excepted from the prohibitions in this notice:
Using a water-fed pole to clean the windows of domestic premises in the course of a business;
Thames Water
http://www.thameswater.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/corp/hs.xsl/15420.htmCommercial/business water use
Are window cleaners who use hosepipes affected?
No, they are not affected by the ban
Anglian Water
http://www.anglianwater.co.uk/environment/water-resources/E90894F6CB2546F88BFF82408F9B81CE.aspxWhat am I still allowed to do?
Use a hosepipe in a garden or for cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises, paths or patios, a private leisure boat or an artificial outdoor surface, where such use is necessary for health and safety reasons;
Use a hosepipe in the course of a business to clean a private motor vehicle, or for cleaning walls or windows of domestic premises, paths or patios or an artificial outdoor surface, where this is done as a service to customers.
I therefore formally request an exemption from the temporary use ban in order to maintain trade and save the livelihoods of our operators.
I look forward to your earliest reply and a positive outcome.
Regards
John Willan
Ideal Window Cleaning
