ACS Welcomes Drought Order Lift
04 Sep 2006
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) is today welcoming Thames Water’s announcement that it has withdrawn its drought order application.
The Drought Order would have affected many of ACS’ 32,000 members, many of which are petrol forecourts operating car washes.
ACS submitted evidence to DEFRA in June detailing why the inclusion of car washes in the Drought Order is unnecessary.
James Lowman, ACS Director of Public Affairs, said: “We wrote to Thames Water and DEFRA to submit our case for car washes to be exempt from the Drought Order. A forecourt car wash is vital to the profitability of many petrol operators and in most cases is the most water efficient means of cleaning a vehicle.
“We are delighted with Thames Water’s decision and we will continue to engage with them during the consultation process as we believe that the Government and the water companies need to reconsider their policy relating to drought orders and car washes.”
Contact
Rachel Lawson
ACS Communications Co-ordinator
01252 515001
Notes to Editors:
1) The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) was formed in 1995 as the retail trade association for the UK convenience store sector. ACS represents over 32,000 local convenience stores throughout the UK.
2) ACS submitted evidence to DEFRA on 29 June 2006 detailing why it is unhelpful to include car washes in Thames Water’s Drought Order. These reasons included:
General Car Washes
The average wash cycle depending on specification of the wash uses approximately 80-150 litres but only 2% (1.6 - 3litres) of this is “lost” to the system. 98% of the water used is returned to the system via the foul drainage and is returned, cleaned and with granular material removed by means of the interceptors linked to the car wash before going down the drains.
We believe that the use of fresh water car washes compares favourably to that used in home car washing. While the Drought Order proposes to ban all forms of vehicle washing, it is likely that simply to fulfil safety requirements (that is, maintaining a clean windscreen and windows, and ensuring that number plates are clear) drivers will use a certain amount of freshwater. We would be keen to understand what Thames Water have estimated as the likely level of water use through limited home car washing. Our estimation is that even the most basic car washing carried out by drivers at home would mean that more than the three litres actually “lost” from a non-recycling car wash.
Jet Washes
Jet washes also offer a more water-efficient mechanism for washing cars. The preservation of the water used in jet washes is in contrast to the wastage caused by home car washing. Typically, jet washes use around 20 litres of water. For smaller forecourt sites in particular, jet washes are an important revenue stream.
We believe that on environmental as well as business grounds they should be exempt from any ban under a Drought Order.
The Drought Order would have affected many of ACS’ 32,000 members, many of which are petrol forecourts operating car washes.
ACS submitted evidence to DEFRA in June detailing why the inclusion of car washes in the Drought Order is unnecessary.
James Lowman, ACS Director of Public Affairs, said: “We wrote to Thames Water and DEFRA to submit our case for car washes to be exempt from the Drought Order. A forecourt car wash is vital to the profitability of many petrol operators and in most cases is the most water efficient means of cleaning a vehicle.
“We are delighted with Thames Water’s decision and we will continue to engage with them during the consultation process as we believe that the Government and the water companies need to reconsider their policy relating to drought orders and car washes.”
Contact
Rachel Lawson
ACS Communications Co-ordinator
01252 515001
Notes to Editors:
1) The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) was formed in 1995 as the retail trade association for the UK convenience store sector. ACS represents over 32,000 local convenience stores throughout the UK.
2) ACS submitted evidence to DEFRA on 29 June 2006 detailing why it is unhelpful to include car washes in Thames Water’s Drought Order. These reasons included:
General Car Washes
The average wash cycle depending on specification of the wash uses approximately 80-150 litres but only 2% (1.6 - 3litres) of this is “lost” to the system. 98% of the water used is returned to the system via the foul drainage and is returned, cleaned and with granular material removed by means of the interceptors linked to the car wash before going down the drains.
We believe that the use of fresh water car washes compares favourably to that used in home car washing. While the Drought Order proposes to ban all forms of vehicle washing, it is likely that simply to fulfil safety requirements (that is, maintaining a clean windscreen and windows, and ensuring that number plates are clear) drivers will use a certain amount of freshwater. We would be keen to understand what Thames Water have estimated as the likely level of water use through limited home car washing. Our estimation is that even the most basic car washing carried out by drivers at home would mean that more than the three litres actually “lost” from a non-recycling car wash.
Jet Washes
Jet washes also offer a more water-efficient mechanism for washing cars. The preservation of the water used in jet washes is in contrast to the wastage caused by home car washing. Typically, jet washes use around 20 litres of water. For smaller forecourt sites in particular, jet washes are an important revenue stream.
We believe that on environmental as well as business grounds they should be exempt from any ban under a Drought Order.