[Ravensford]

Published in our local paper yesterday (Only Delivered this evening):

Sutton & East Surrey Water Plc have applied for a drought order. Appeals must be made within seven days of notice.

Specifically states that ban applies (whether metered or not) to

(vi) The cleaning of the exterior of buildings, other than windows.

(vii) The cleaning of windows by hosepipe, sprinkler or other similar apparatus.

Therefore, to my knowledge, this is the first such action forcing us off wfp & back on to ladders.

Think you're unaffected? This applies in whole or in part to the following Borough & District Council areas:

Crawley, Elmbridge, Epsom & Ewell, Guildford, Reigate & Banstead, Mid Sussex, Mole Valley, Sevenoaks & also Tandridge.

It also applies to the following London Boroughs:

Croydon, Merton & Sutton

Best Order Some New Ladders & a Roof Rack Then!

[Jeff Brimble]

I think that everyone on this forum should send in appeal. Whether you live in the area or not.
Could you post the address ?

[neil100]

Does Squeaky Live in the Drought effected area?

It will put him off investing in wfp now.

Nel.

[Ravensford]

Objections may be made to the:

Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs,
c/o Water Supply & Regulation Division,
55 Whitehall,
London
SW1A 2EY

Attention of Mr. K.A. Bates

within 7 days of notice (16th March)

or electronically again addressed to Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs but to Keith.Bates@defra.gsi.gov.uk


It is highly possible to be coming to an area near you soon in my view because Thames Water supposedly had 90something% of their normal reserves & are still imposing stricter measures. Our areas the supplies were quoted at far less 40%ish to the best of my knowledge.

[neil100]

Thames water.

Are they the water company that loose a THIRD of the water supply through leaks?

Yet they will Ban you from useing wfp but allow you to risk life and limb by forceing you back up a ladder to make a living.

Its a mad mad world.

Nel.

[Sir Squeaky]

Does Squeaky Live in the Drought effected area?

It will put him off investing in wfp now.

Nel.

Oh no! I was looking forward to my Omni-brush or whatever it's called. :

 

[Ian_Giles]

I rather think the ban on cleaning windows with hosepipes does not allude to WFP users, but rather to people who will connect up their hosepipe to their tap, much as they would when cleaning their car.

It would be interseting to have that point officially clarified I think.

I just thank god I am not in an area that is likely to have a hosepipe ban.

Ian

[Sir Squeaky]

I just thank god I am not in an area that is likely to have a hosepipe ban.

Wouldn't relax yet Ian.

I saw that Thames water has a big problem, and it's almost certainly going to extend to the West.

Not being awkward, just saying what I saw on Beeb news.
Still, don't shoot the messenger....

[Ian_Giles]

Well, maybe Rog, but our supplies are 90% of normal, so I'm not too worried.
A hosepipe ban isn't to be feared, it's when it gets to standpipes in the street that it becomes more of an issue I think.
Also, as my Brother in law pumps his own water I'll connect up there instead.

You can lump all windows cleaners together WFP and trad and they still won't amount to much in the way of water usage.


Ian

[Simply Clean Windows]

when i spoke to thames water the other day,they did not have an issue with me using wfp as long as i only filled up at my own address,and not my customers.

[gaza]

we could use squeekys slaver theres enough to go around

 gaza

[Sir Squeaky]

Oops! Nearly laughed then Gaza...

[Jago]

Yep Thames Water are going for the Drought route too.
Ressi's in the south water region are down to 41% they are the lowest and Thames although are only down 10% can place the order of a drought as a means of Pr-empting the situation from getting worse.
All ressi's are down by about 10%
J

[chris@c.m.s]

Ok so in the light of all this should I treat myself to a shurflo backpack this month or an A frame ladder ? :

[Old_Master]

Thames Water Reservoirs are 96% FULL!!

Lets see if the  industries with large financial reserves and top lawers to fight the water boards are also banned from earning a living. Window cleaners on the scale of water use dont even close to using 0.0000001% of water used by industries. Just think how much water is being used every day by water based paint factories, liquid chemical manufacturers, breweries, soft drink manufacturers etc etc.
 
It is an outrage that Thames Water firstly used SIX reservoirs as land fill sites, then turfed over the areas and sold off the land for housing developments bringing in £ millions if not 100s of millions of £.
 
Thames water was owned by us all and sold off. Last year they made a profit of £250,000,000 and at the same time the Company looses 915,000,000 litres of water every day of the year through leaks.
How much water is used by window cleaners in a day in the Thames Water area?
 
I just cannot see a water board in France getting away with banning people from earning a living whilst almost a billion litres a day is leaking from pipes, there would be demonstrations,  buildings on fire and paving slabs being thrown through goverment office windows.
This really is the time where we need solidaritory in our industry to fight for our livlyhood, I urge you all to write and protest the ban.
Glyn

[Ian_Giles]

Well said Glyn

It incenses me that the water companies impose these bans when their own waste is so incredibly appalling
I know that logistically it is a phenominally huge job to replace many tens of thousands of miles of old, corroded pipes, and I also know that they are trying to do so.
But the various water companies have all known for many decades that the pipes need replacing and not just repairing (yes, I accept that they have to at least make the repairs when an obvious leak occurs) but they simply haven't done nearly enough over the years to rectify the problems.
By now the level of leaks should be nowhere near as high as they currently are.

The problems won't go away, our population increases every year, water use increases at an even greater rate due to our modern lifestyles.

How much longer do the water companies think they can get away with such dreadful waste?
A couple more dry years (and that isn't really that unlikely is it)? and some area's could be on standpipes right through the winter, what on earth is going to happen if rain doesn't fall in the required volume to top up the reservoirs over the next month or two?
The reality is that we are now about to enter the driest part of our year, so reservoirs are not likely to begin to fill up until next autumn.
Another dry winter and we will really be up to our necks in the brown stuff won't we?
And of course the water companies will still be wasting water like it's going out of fashion won't they.....

Ian

[Jeff Brimble]

Unless you actually sit down and object, I see the spectre of window cleaning wars errupting ( Its been pointed out by e mail to me) of window cleaners going cross border to work to pay the mortgage. I am old enough to rember the Coal miners strike and we had many miners round my way cleaning windows for pin money. God forbid it should happen from within our own trade.
Object today- while you can.

[Mr. S]

Although Im in Hertfordshire at present not in the above region, but just sent Mstr Bates an email with extracts from Glyn @ Omnipoles thread outlining facts and

WOULD URGE OTHER WINDOW CLEANERS EVEN NOT IN THIS AREA TO DO SAME!

IT COULD AFFECT US SOON!

[squeaky-clean 1]

 Have spoken to Three Valleys Water again.

They said you must be on water meter.
It can only be domestic supply unless you change use of property i.e shop/factory.
The water hose pipe ban will not affect us as we do not use mains water supply from the propertys that we clean.

The hose pipe ban relates to the use of hose pipe to water your garden.
To jetwash your drive.
To wash your car by hose.

WILL NOT AFFECT THE USE OF CLEANING WINDOWS BY W/F/P.

Belinda

[Ian_Giles]

EXAMPLE of EMAIL below, to  be sent to Keith Bates, change your email to what you want to write BUT DO WRITE TODAY
 
Keith.Bates@defra.gsi.gov.uk
 
I must protest in the strongest terms regarding the propossed Drought order.
Particularly in relation to the banning of the use of Water Fed Poles by the window cleaning industry.
Due to the Health and Safety Executives (HSE)  Working at Heights Directive brought about in April 2005 the only safe method acceptable to professionally clean windows is water fed pole, a method where by purified water (Tap or well water is passed through a device known as a Reverse Osmosis unit to produce 100 % pure water) this is then  pumped up through a telescopic pole to reach and clean windows up to 60' from the ground. 
This method uses very little water indeed only one litre of water per minute is required to clean windows, an average three bedroom house would take only 7 to 10 litres of water.
In the United Kigdom 180,000 workers are employed in the Window Cleaning Industry, with many thousands of these in the area where a ban on this safe method of working is propossed.
To ban this method could well cause deaths and serious injuries to Window Cleaners forced back to unsafe methods of work.
 
Any ban of these safe method of work will certainly cause thousands of workers to loose their employment as insurance cover is virtually impossable to obtain for window cleaners working from ladders, as this is not now considered a safe method of working by insurance companies.
 
It appears window cleaners due to their visability will be singled out whilst other industries will continue to use thousands of litres for non essential works behind closed doors and almost a billion litres of water a day goes to waste through leaks.


The above is quoted from the other forum, from a reply by Glyn Howard.

A good example I think of an email that can be sent by us window cleaners to DEFRA.
Use it, cribb from it and add whatever you like to it, I certainly intend to

Ian