Highway drainage - Southern Water

maxmanners

last year I noticed a new heading on my water rates bill from Southern Water - Highway Drainage. As the amount was only 61p for a year I passed over it because even I am not that cheap!
Well this year the same heading was £2.12 a 300+% increase!
So I thought to myself, if there are 20 million households (guess) in the country, the water industry is picking up an extra £40M plus for nothing! Surely this can't be right! What makes it worse is that I live on a private cul de sac which doesn't even have a highway drain.
Surely councils or road users should pay for this.
Does anyone know anymore about this new method of billing?
Max

scheming_gypsy

http://www.canterbury.gov.uk/cgi-bin/buildpage.pl?mysql=176

that's the link for Southern Waters policy on it. I don't see why road users should have to pay for it when it's to stop water / waste flooding the roads, onto pavements and into peoples gardens. Don't you think us car owners pay out enough?

Psykicpup

The difference you noticed between your bills is because the standing charges of which Highway Drainage is one part are pro-rata'd on the number of days in that bill - the annual charge for Highway Drainage is currently £6. You should have recieved a charges leaflet with your first bill after April 1st which will show this - if not or you have misplaced it call Southern Water & they will send you a new one.
This covers they cost of removing & treating rainwater that falls on to the roads etc in the whole of the Southern Water area & is levied on all customers that recieve a waste water bill from Southern Water.