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The water industry in England has set out an ambitious new vision with the publication of a Manifesto for Water.

Drinking water in the UK is among the very best in the world and any further EU intervention could lead to unnecessary extra costs to customers. In response to the latest EU consultation on the Drinking Water Directive, Water UK said any future changes to drinking water quality standards must be based on robust scientific evidence of risks to human health.

The European Commission is considering measures to control the levels and types of pharmaceuticals and chemicals in the environment and water. The Commission believes there could be risks to public health, although there is currently no robust scientific data about how serious the risks are. Water UK is concerned that the Commission could decide more stringent sewerage treatment is the answer, which could lead to substantial extra costs for companies and customers.

Following an initiative from government late last year, the water sector was quick to establish a scheme to compare companies’ performances relating to delivery of infrastructure. The second performance report was published in October. Related further initiatives include the industry’s own system for measuring customer satisfaction, planned for launch in 2016, and an overhaul of the charging regime made possible by Water Act 2014.

The launch of the water retail market in England on the 1st April marked the successful delivery of one of the largest and most complicated industry-wide change programmes ever undertaken by the water sector. More than 1.2 million businesses, charities and public sector customers in England, from micro businesses and SMEs to large corporates and the public sector, can now choose their water retailer for the first time.