A Forres businessman is highlighting ‘significant disruption’ to his High Street shop that has forced him to work through the night – because it is the only time he has a reliable water supply.
Now Carlo Miele has recruited the help of local MSP Richard Lochhead in an attempt to get to the bottom of just why businesses and homes in the area are being so badly hit by fluctuating water pressure.
Mr Miele says that sensitive ice cream production machinery in his shop has been significantly damaged and the only way he has been able to supply his customers has been to work through the night, when local demands on the water supply are low enough to ensure that he has a reliable water pressure available.
He said: “This is a real problem for the business and is creating significant disruption.
“When you are paying for a service that service should be well delivered. Good service is important for my customers in Forres and it should be just as important for Scottish Water as well.
“Scottish Water surely appreciate that food businesses need a decent water pressure for kitchen equipment and that is what they should be delivering. Having to work in the middle of the night just because there is more water available seems completely daft and I don’t know of other towns having this prolonged issue.”
After meeting with Mr Miele at his premises earlier this week, Moray’s MSP, Richard Lochhead, said: “The reduction in water pressure is clearly causing significant operational problems for Mr Miele’s business and Scottish Water needs to explain clearly what the issue is and how they propose to deal with it in a timely and effective manner.
“Mr Miele’s complaint is about more than inconvenience, especially given that as a business his water is metered and he is paying a significant amount of money for that water.”
Confirming that he has written to Scottish Water, the MSP added: “I have asked Scottish Water to respond to me as a matter of urgency to ensure that Forres businesses and residents have access to a mains supply that properly fulfils their water needs.”
“We need action to the help the businesses affected and we need Scottish Water to explain what they have done to assess the impact of this problem.”