Office of Water Services

WATER INDUSTRY ACT 1991, SECTIONS 7 AND 8

NOTICE OF PROPOSAL BY THE DIRECTOR OF WATER SERVICES THAT ANGLIAN WATER SERVICES LTD. (ANGLIAN) REPLACE HARTLEPOOL WATER PLC (HARTLEPOOL) AS THE WATER UNDERTAKER OF THE LATTER’S WATER SUPPLY AREA

The Process This notice begins a period of public consultation. Any representations or objections about any of the matters described below should be in writing and sent to the Director General of Water Services, Centre City Tower, 7 Hill Street, Birmingham B5 4UA, (Fax 0121 625 3606), to be received not later than 5 p.m. on Friday, 9th April 1999. Please quote Ref. LEG/34/1/1. The Proposal—That Anglian replace Hartlepool as water undertaker for the latter’s area, with effect on 1st April 2000 Anglian and Hartlepool are water undertakers. Each holds an appointment from the Secretary of State as a water undertaker and is controlled by Anglian Water Plc. ( Note:  Anglian also holds an appointment as sewerage undertaker. Its sewerage area does not include any part of the area served by Hartlepool and is not affected by this proposal. The sewerage undertaker for Hartlepool’s area will continue to be Northumbrian Water Ltd.) The Director General of Water Services (the Director) considers that, when two or more Appointees are in the same ownership and management control, their separate licences should be replaced by a single one. Therefore, the Director proposes that Anglian’s Appointment as a water undertaker should be varied so that it applies also to the area currently served by Hartlepool. If that happens, Hartlepool’s Appointment will be terminated. Anglian and Hartlepool have agreed these proposals. Further Information Price reductions for water service customers in Hartlepool’s area If this proposal is implemented Anglian has agreed that, with effect in the Charging Year commencing 1st April 2001, the prices charged to water service customers who are in the area currently served by Hartlepool will be reduced by five per cent, compared with the prices which would otherwise be payable following the Director’s determination of new price limits for Anglian’s enlarged area, which would have taken effect on 1st April 2000. Extension of facilities currently available to Anglian’s customers Anglian has also agreed to extend to customers in Hartlepool’s area its free meter option scheme and its package of subsidised/free repair customers’ service pipes. It will also make available to domestic customers in Hartlepool’s area the trust fund which it has set up to help customers with payment difficulties. Provision of Supporting Information Hartlepool provides, to the Director and to the Ofwat Northumbria Customer Service Committee (which has separate duties to represent the interests of Hartlepool’s water service customers) regulatory information about its operations in the area currently served by Hartlepool. Anglian has agreed to continue that arrangement, if this proposal is carried out.