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Ulster Farmers' Union hits out at household water meters ban

Water meters installed outside homes on the Upper Suffolk Road in west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann
Water meters installed outside homes on the Upper Suffolk Road in west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann Water meters installed outside homes on the Upper Suffolk Road in west Belfast. Picture by Mal McCann

THE Ulster Farmers' Union has hit out at the new infrastructure minister's decision to halt the installation of household water meters.

The farming body claimed everyone should pay water charges and slammed the current arrangements as "discriminatory".

Sinn Féin's Chris Hazzard announced on Wednesday that water meters would no longer be fitted at new homes.

It came a day after The Irish News revealed that thousands of meters were still being installed despite a Stormont pledge in 2014 to end the practice.

The number of water meters fitted at domestic properties since 2007 has reached 42,200, at a cost in excess of £13 million.

In Northern Ireland separate water charges only apply to non-domestic properties.

However, the Ulster Farmers' Union yesterday said it was disappointed by the decision.

It claimed farmers and other businesses were "continuing to carry the burden of water charges for the whole of Northern Ireland", with tariffs increased to fund supply network maintenance and improvements.

UFU deputy president Ivor Ferguson said: "We feel it is discriminatory for metered business customers, and in particular farmers, to be expected to continue to cover these costs for the whole of the NI population.

"We have been of the opinion for years that everyone should pay for the water they use and that universal metering should be introduced by NI Water but we also recognise that this would bring added costs to domestic home owners at a difficult economic time."

Regulations to formalise the minister's decision are due to be brought to the assembly after the summer break.