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Baby wipes, cleaning wipes and other non-flushable products can block sewers and cost customers and water and sewerage companies millions of pounds a year in cleaning and repairs.

There is a growing international focus on governance, indicators and benchmarking in the water sector, both globally and in the EU. There appears to be a belief among regulators and water practitioners globally that while there are plenty of measures of outputs, such as environmental indicators, perhaps more can be done to measure how efficiently the services are delivered.

The Water Bill has completed its progress through Parliament and will soon become the Water Act. A government amendment was introduced in the House of Lords to provide incumbent water companies with a mechanism to exit the non-household retail market, subject to the consent of the Secretary of State.

The UK bathing season starts this month and runs until the end of September. For 2014, monitoring data will be assessed using the standards set in the current bathing water directive. This is the last season these standards will be used. From 2015, bathing water quality will be assessed using new, stricter standards.

Water re-use systems can use rainwater, or treated water from washing, reducing per capita consumption by up to half. However, even developers of environmentally friendly housing schemes say few homebuyers want to install water re-use systems.

The Government’s consultation on abstraction licence reform was a useful first step but more work is needed with Defra officials and other key stakeholders to fully understand the impacts of the proposals.

The need for monitoring of aspects of shale gas extraction, such as the integrity of the wells and the treatment of water once it has been used for fracking, will be crucial for effective and safe operations.

The winter of 2014 was the wettest on record, and as whole areas were flooded the capacity of drains and sewers was overwhelmed. But it is important to remember that the floods came a year after two consecutive years of drought. Water, like many other sectors, faces a huge challenge to adapt to these impacts of climate change.

Water UK and UKWIR (UK Water Industry Research) Code of Practice for water companies and stakeholders on the use of water restrictions.

Water UK response to Department for Energy and Climate Change consultation

Water UK response to Defra consultation 'Making the Most of Every Drop - Consultation on Reforming the Water Abstraction Management System'.

Water re-use technology has been used in sustainable housing developments for some years but has not been adopted more widely. Water UK, along with Defra, the Environment Agency and Brighton University, is hosting a seminar on 8 April to consider the success of existing schemes and the barriers to greater uptake.