Hot on the heels of the BMA’s legal action on the issue of ‘blue water’, where a backflow of cistern water was able to make it into the drinking water supply, Tom Reynolds, chief executive of the BMA, has written to Rebecca Pow MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), highlighting the BMA’s ongoing concerns for better safety and standards.

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The BMA has successfully secured assurances from DEFRA following its action and both are working together to eradicate such instances and make good on enforcing the clarification on the Water Fittings regulations of 1999. However, the BMA suggests that this only highlights that the Wa-ter Supply (Water Fittings) Regulations of 1999 are “desperately out of date”.

Tom Reynolds writes: “The regulations put UK law out of step with international product stand-ards and are not a reflection of current or innovative plumbing practices. Bathroom manufacturers would welcome the chance to work pro-actively with DEFRA to collaboratively modernise regula-tion. It is a concern to our association that some of DEFRA’s other stakeholders are lobbying Gov-ernment for oversimplified solutions on water efficiency without a complete understanding of the issues.”

The BMA continues to promote adoption of its Unified Water Label – the dominant water labelling scheme in the UK, Europe and other countries – rather than DEFRA adopting potentially confusing counter proposals.