LANCASHIRE County Council is mounting a legal challenge against water meters.

Council leader Louise Ellman said the meters were a back door method of disconnecting water supplies and depriving hard-up families of clean water and they bypassed normal legislation.

Ten other councils are joining Lancashire in its court challenge. Mrs Ellman joined speakers at a protest meeting yesterday (Wednesday, May 8) to condemn North West Water's plans to install the meters in households across the region.

The meters cut off consumers who cannot pay their water bills in advance.

Mrs Ellman said: "Prepayment meters are a back door method of disconnecting water supplies.

"I'm appalled North West Water is effectively asking poor people to disconnect their water supply if they cannot pay in advance."

She claimed the measures would avoid the company having to go to court before disconnecting a supply; remove the requirement for disconnection information being reported to water watchdog OFWAT and abandon the requirement for social services to be consulted before disconnection.

She added: "North West Water has increased prices by 74 per cent since privatisation, with a further increase of 7.3 per cent for most households this year.

"They should drop these plans which hit the most vulnerable members of society and affect public health for the whole community."

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