I WAS interested to read the article about water quality in the Gorse Covert area printed in a recent GUARDIAN.

Apart from agreeing with everything that was said about the water quality I found it curious that North West Water claimed that there had been no other complaints from local residents.

On May 19, 1997, I wrote to North West Water, copied to OFWAT, complaining about the taste of the tap water.

An inspector came to my address to inspect the water quality. He suggested that my property may be at the end of a supply leg and that I should run off some water before using it for drinks or cooking. He then ran the cold water for some time before taking the sample. This waste of water was at a time when we were all being urged to conserve water. He assured me that the water was fit to drink and that I should have no worries.

Incidentally, at the time the inspector came the water quality to my property had improved noticeably. This may have been a coincidence or maybe not, should I be cynical?

Every morning water is run off refilling toilet cisterns and showers before the first drinks are made so this excuse is meaningless.

The water taste varies. Sometimes it will be acceptable for a few days but then the smell and taste of chlorine returns and on average there are more days when the water is unacceptable.

D. BEETHAM

Gilderdale Close

Gorse Covert

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