Water companies' treatment of churches "a disgrace" - Farron

3.00.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Tue 17th Jun 2008

Local MP Tim Farron has today spoken out against water companies, who are ignoring the charitable status of churches. Water companies have begun to charge churches for the amount of area that will collect water and discharge it into the sewer network, such as roofs and car parks. Mr Farron has signed a petition encouraging the Prime Minister to take action on this issue, and is urging others to do the same, in the hope of reaching the 15,000 signatures required to gain an official response.

Commenting, Mr Farron said:

"It is a disgrace that water companies should mistreat churches in this way. Church buildings, by their very nature, have roofs with large surface areas and car parks which collect a lot of water, and now face bills rising by hundreds and, in some cases, thousands of pounds; it is simply wrong that any charity should be treated in this way.

"Churches, like other religious buildings, provide a hub for the local community to congregate and perform a variety of good work which is recognised by their charitable status, which is why I have signed this petition to encourage the Prime Minister to take action. The petition needs at least 15,000 signatures to receive a response, although if we get as many as possible it is more likely that the Government will take action!"