Quiz over fire chiefs' water bill

FIRE chiefs in the Capital have launched an investigation into the amount of water used in stations, after their bill surged by nearly 300 per cent in two years.

Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service saw its water bill increase from 63,277 in 2007-8 to 244,552 this year.

It has now raised a complaint with its water supplier, Business Stream, about the costs racked up at its 26 fire stations.

All water that is used for firefighting operations is supposed to be free - but fire bosses believe they may be being charged for some operational use.

Bills first started to rise when new meters were installed in the stations by Business Stream in 2008, that estimated whether the water use was operational or non-operational by water flow, with high pressure use judged to be for firefighting operations.

Now a series of "water audits" have taken place at four fire stations to record all water use and check details with bills. Councillor Mike Bridgman, convener of the Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service Board, said: "The whole financial situation at the moment is a concern, so we have got to dot the Is and cross the Ts on everything.

"We do not have money to just throw away and every department has to look at everything. We need water to do the job and if there has been such an increase we need to look closely at the issue."

Two stations that have had the highest water bills - McDonald Road and Liberton - were chosen for the one-day water audit by officials from the fire service and Business Stream, as well as two with the lowest, Tranent and West Linton.

It is hoped that when the audits are analysed they will help to show if Business Stream has been charging the fire service more than it should have been.

The fire service has in recent years budgeted for a 62,606 water bill. But in 2008-9 it surged by 133 per cent from the year before, to 147,911. It then increased by another 65 per cent in 2009-10, to 244,552. Across the two years, the bills increased by 286 per cent.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue Service said: "We are working with Business Stream to assess water management issues and the costs associated with that. We are running a pilot across four stations."

Since April 2008, businesses across Scotland have been able to choose between different water suppliers, including Business Stream, which is an offshoot of Scottish Water.

A spokeswoman for Business Stream said: "We are working with Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue to help them reduce their water and waste water consumption and cut their associated costs.

"We have already conducted audits on four sites, which will help us identify where savings can be made to help bring their costs in line with budgets."