The Car Wash Association (CWA) is lobbying against Southern Water’s request for permission to enforce a stricter water ban which could force mechanical car washes to close.
The CWA says that the water company has failed to recognise the intricacies of the car wash industry in its application to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) for the right to impose a non-essential use ban (NEUB) in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
In a letter to the Environment Agency yesterday (August 11), CWA chairman Brian Madderson said that rather than targeting legitimate operators of rollovers, tunnel and jet washes in the mechanical sector, focus should be made instead on “the largely non-compliant” hand car washes, which represent 70% of the market.
He said: “The non-compliant operators use cheap jet washes at high pressure which maximises water flow and the trade effluent is often left to run into roadside drains rather than be controlled as is the requirement of the 1991 Water Act.”
He went on: “During Covid, the Car Wash Association (CWA) made the case to government that automated and some fully compliant hand car washes provide an important service in maintaining the roadworthiness and safety of vehicles. Automated washes were allowed to continue operating in England while all hand car washes were closed.”
Southern Water says that it has made the request as a precautionary measure which it may not, if granted, actually implement. Also, it adds that its teams are on hand to investigate complaints about car washes.
It has already imposed hosepipe bans in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight since July 10 because of low river and aquifer levels caused by record dry weather.
Drought officials declared on Monday that 71.3% of England is in drought, after the nation experienced its driest July on record, with scant rain forecast for the week ahead.
A Southern Water spokesperson told Forecourt Trader: ”Due to the ongoing dry weather, and following the declaration of drought in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, we have reached the trigger level requiring us to apply to Defra for a drought order and non-essential use ban in these areas.”
It says that it must follow the regulatory process to protect water supplies and the environment if dry conditions persist. ”Protecting the River Test remains a priority, and any future drought measures would be subject to strict environmental monitoring and controls,” it adds.
Other affected activities under Southern Water’s requested NEUB include filling or maintaining non-domestic swimming pools, paddling pools, or ponds; cleaning commercial vehicles or non-domestic premises using a hose or mains water; and watering outdoor commercial gardens or cleaning windows.
This is thought to be the first time this summer that a water company has sought these extra powers, which CWA chairman Brian Madderson says would be “grossly unfair and disproportionate” to legitimate car wash operators.
He adds: “It appears that Southern Water want to ban all mechanical car washes in the given area without understanding the current market structure. We have written and advised that (largely) non-compliant hand car washes account for nearly 70% of the UK valeting market yet appear not to be targeted by this non-essential usage ban (NEUB).
“They need to start by banning these hand car washes and allow mechanical washes to continue to provide ongoing road safety protection for the consumer and for emergency services.”
