Eustice bans foreign mineral waters ...

France has just arrested a UK trawler for illegal fishing, more tit for tat, this round of negotiation is far from over. All sorts of restrictive measures are threatened in addition.

We were living in the middle of the Abu Dhabi desert when bottled water first took off in the U.K. Our water arrived in a bowser and came out of the tap hot and brown. We had to filter it, boil it, and then keep it in the fridge before it was fit to drink.

So on the usual summer visit to the U.K. we were amazed to see people buying plastic bottles of the stuff you could get for absolute peanuts, - clean and cold just out of the tap.

Cleverest con trick ever of the French, IMO, but of course bottled water had long been a thing in France - I remember on my first school visit at 14 being warned that all too often the water was not ‘potable’.

I long ago switched to a water filter and chill the water in the fridge. Do like fizzy water though, it's very refreshing sometimes.

Good to see that bottled water and therefore plastic bottles won’t be coming. I love fizzy water and I therefore have a water filter jug ( and recycle the filters) and a soda stream in which I make my own water. I also make some cordials myself.

Hands up anybody who carried bottles of water around in their childhood.

No, but there was always water available in those days. Remember lining up for the drinking fountain in the school playground?

MayBeMaw

^And then some here say that the EU is being petty. WTMF^ ?
What does the “M” stand for?
I have heard of WTF, WTAF and MILF - I hope there is no connection with that

Mother?

HannahLoisLuke

MerylStreep

You claim to be an environmentalist. I would think that you might be pleased that these plastic bottles won’t be coming to the uk.
Personally I’m over the moon ??? ?

Hear, hear.

I imagine you didn't bother to read my reply/replies.

Warnings were VERY clearly given since 2016, and particularly in 2018, by all the experts involved. They were called project fear (again) by Gove, Hannan and many more.

One of the problems I forgot to mention above, is the fact those chemicals cannot be stored for long- so if the supply chain is hindered, for whatever reason/s, things escalate very quickly.

Never mind e-coli- cholera is frequently mentionned recently.

MerylStreep

You claim to be an environmentalist. I would think that you might be pleased that these plastic bottles won’t be coming to the uk.
Personally I’m over the moon ??? ?

Hear, hear.

SewnSew

My husband fitted a filter tap in our kitchen so we have ice filtered water to drink whenever- or to fill water bottles if we want.

E-coli is not filtered out, I am afraid.

Oh and I forgot, of course

d) pouring of tons of raw sewage concurrently with a) b) and c) above - the combination of which is a total disaster. No hysteria there at all- just fact.

As for Fiji water and other exotic locations, I imagine more and more of those will come from huge distances, like NZ, Chilli, etc- to make up for the loss of EU bottled waters- rather than less. Like loads of other produce- again, environmentally inexcusable.

Jane71

Are we really saying that in many areas the tap water is undrinkable, and if so why? Is it the added flouride, or chlorine?

Taste if a different matter altogether.

Several areas have had recent warnings to boil water, as it is not safe to drink. I know of areas of SW coast and also Yorkshire- at the time that millions of litres of RAW sewage is being poured into waterways by waer companies.

And I am fully aware many here will not face up to the facts- and the problems are 3 fold

a) terrible investment into infrastructure by private companies over a long period of time, to please shareholders- nothing new here.

and 2 very recent

b) shortage of HGV drivers

c) and the broken supply chain of the necessary chemicals, importing from Europe, to purify water.

I am also fully aware that many here will totally refute the cause. And that many others totally understand how and why.

My husband fitted a filter tap in our kitchen so we have ice filtered water to drink whenever- or to fill water bottles if we want.

We never buy bottled water. If I want to drink water (which is not often) I turn the tap on. I saw a woman yesterday walking with a plastic bottle of water in her hand, she took a long swig from it then threw the bottle in the pretty stream at the side of the road! Whilst British mineral waters might also be in plastic bottles, if foreign imports are reduced that might boost the UK producers. Isn't that what we should all be doing, supporting our local economy.

Has Eustace actually banned EU mineral water? I think not. My understanding is that from January 7th EU companies cannot use their EU accreditation but will have to apply for accreditation from the UK. This is not the same as a ban.

I believe this topic was first raised because political groups were criticising the sewerage system and wanting water authorities to take responsibility for over spills during flooding. It was publicised by saying we would all be drinking filthy river water especially as mineral water was banned. There is plenty of mineral water in this country and EU water is not banned. It was a way of grabbing the headlines. I guess rivers and sewerage is what we should really be discussing.

Hope he's banning imports of Fiji water too. It really does come all the way from Fiji.

growstuff

Yes, it was. You've basically called my a liar and said that your water is OK so mine must be too. Essex is a big county.

Your water is probably supplied by Anglian Water, which uses water from rivers and reservoirs outside of Essex. Mine is supplied by Affinity Water, which uses water from bedrock (aquifers).

I did not call you a liar. I said my water is fine which it is.

There is absolutely no need to be rude growstuff

Home chiller not a bought one.

growstuff

Jane71

Are we really saying that in many areas the tap water is undrinkable, and if so why? Is it the added flouride, or chlorine?

It tastes horrible in my area because it's chalky (hard water). We also have a local problem because there's something wrong with the filtration system and we have sand. It's been like this for nearly a year. Most of the south east has chalky water. It's much softer in the north (including Scotland) and west (and Wales) because the water is filtered through granite.

I’m temporarily in the South East, water tastes fine, even better from a chiller.

Moreover, the chalk in south Essex is covered by clay and gravel, so any water from boreholes is filtered by the gravel, whereas mine comes directly from chalky bedrock.

Yes, it was. You've basically called my a liar and said that your water is OK so mine must be too. Essex is a big county.

Your water is probably supplied by Anglian Water, which uses water from rivers and reservoirs outside of Essex. Mine is supplied by Affinity Water, which uses water from bedrock (aquifers).

growstuff

PS. Mind your own business! If I choose to buy bottled water or filters, that's what I'll do. It's cheaper than alcohol.

I really hope that wasn’t directed to me!!

If you had read all of my post I said that folks were entitled to spend their money on whatever they like.

As I am often dedicated driver and as I do not drink carbonated pop my drink of choice with my meal when out is tap water.

Sorry Growstuff I didn’t realise how awful your water tasted. I grew up in the South East and everything furred up where the water was so hard. You could draw off a glass and it would be so cloudy with white chalky deposits as to be undrinkable.

Re reusing fancy glass bottles. When dd went to Vietnam she was warned not to buy bottled water from the local street sellers. They would take discarded empty plastic water bottles, refill them, and sell to unsuspecting tourists.

I agree mineral waters don’t all taste the same. I particularly like Cornish Mineral Water which kept me hydrated when I had a nasty bug whilst on holiday there.

I have only ever purchased Brit bottled water having found any if EVER any difference in taste to other bottled waters.

I don’t like water being sold in plastic bottles and never buy it - but I do like freedom. Whose business is it what we buy? We should be free to buy what we like from where we like.