Over the last year, the troubles of water companies – especially Thames Water – and issues like river pollution have captured a lot of attention and become a big political issue. But for people living in Berkshire towns like Maidenhead, this is not the biggest water problem you can face.
While the town where former prime minister Theresa May was MP until recently has just fallen to the Liberal Democrats in the general election, even that party’s leader Sir Ed Davey, who spent much of the campaign on paddle boards and water slides to raise awareness of these issues, would probably agree there is a bigger water issue if he lived there.
Hard water is the bane of the lives of water users in many places across the south-east and that is why water softeners are a must.
It isn’t great to drink or bathe in (especially as it is hard to lather up), but some of the worst effects can be on clothes. It can make fabric feel stiff or rough, cause colours to fade faster than in soft water areas and leave whites looking somewhat less than pristine.
Suffice to say, Sir Ed wouldn’t want to wash his wet clothes in that after a hard day as the most famous stuntman in politics. Indeed, as he is based in south London he may have a water softener himself to deal with such a problem, although the water there is not as hard as in Berkshire.
Of course, life in Berkshire has some great aspects with all those lovely chalk hills of the Chilterns to enjoy. But the chalk streams that flow from them bring all those calcium deposits that clog up kettles and mess with your clothes.
The public may rightly call for politicians to tackle some problems and for water company failings to be addressed and punished. But when it comes to the enduring issue of hard water in this part of England, the solution lies in the hands of householders who wisely cast their vote for a water softener.
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