Water meters urged to conserve river wildlife

WWF-UK warned that a third of river catchments are facing damage because too much water is being taken out of them.

During a summer that has seen drought and water shortages lead to hosepipe bans in some areas, the wildlife charity is calling on the Government and water companies to ensure universal metering is in place by 2020 to help cut demand.

Over-extraction can lead to water courses drying out during summer droughts, killing wildlife including fish and endangered water voles, while lower water all year can cause more serious damage.

Chalk streams, which are unique to England, require strong, fast-flowing water courses to provide a healthy ecosystem, such as the gravel beds that trout and salmon need for spawning.

Currently just over a third (37 per cent) of households have water meters, and a Government review last year recommended England and Wales should move towards 80 per cent metering by 2020, WWF said.

Water companies' latest five-year plans indicate this is likely to increase to half of all homes by 2015 – which WWF warns is still only half of what is needed to protect rivers.

Installing meters in all homes would let householders to see how much water they were using, and improve companies' understanding of water demand.