Free drinking water - what are your rights?

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
Bmblbzzz
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

I don't think the charge is so much for the water as for the staff time. No difference at quiet times but when busy that's serving time lost. Cyclists are not likely to pop into a crowded town centre pub at evening 'rush hour' so it doesn't make much difference to us; but then the law is not made just with cyclists in mind!
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meic
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by meic »

There is a local-ish pub with a very accessible outside toilet right at the roadside.
I often stop and fill my bottle from the tap there. As the law stands in Psamathe's link that makes me a thief. It doesnt not inconvenience the owner in any way with respects to providing service.
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pete75
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by pete75 »

Bmblbzzz wrote:I don't think the charge is so much for the water as for the staff time. No difference at quiet times but when busy that's serving time lost. Cyclists are not likely to pop into a crowded town centre pub at evening 'rush hour' so it doesn't make much difference to us; but then the law is not made just with cyclists in mind!


It's still bloody mean.
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eileithyia
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by eileithyia »

Have to smile, a few years back was at local hospital fracture clinic, delayed appointment due to consultant off with winter vomiting... long wait, needed some water to take pain killers, asked reception staff and was pointed to the 'cafe' round the corner..... I was clearly not thinking straight due to discomfort etc., and meekly complied.... afterwards when I thought about it I realised I should probably have just asked the nursing staff.
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thirdcrank
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by thirdcrank »

At this point I will make an unashamed plug for an excellent pub which advertises that its facilities are free to all, whether customers or not.

... Our car park and toilet facilities are absolutely free for all to use. ...


http://thechequersinn.com/

They provide all sorts of community services eg there's a sign in the window offering a free puncture repair outfit and tools (although I think you might be expected to do your own repairing :wink: )

However, even somebody as genuinely public-spirited as Chris the landlord might look down his nose at a pub full of jokers exercising their "human rights" by demanding to be served free water all day. :roll:
gbnz
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by gbnz »

thirdcrank wrote: jokers exercising their "human rights" by demanding to be served free water all day. :roll:


I think the secret is to ask!

Though I'll routinely drop into a supermarket and buy two litres at approximately £0.17, when pressed I'll normally knock on the nearest household door on my route and ask. I've never been refused yet, though I suppose it's always been Up North.
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Lance Dopestrong
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by Lance Dopestrong »

I think the clue is in the word 'business'. If they want to help you out and provide a service for free, then fair play to them. However, I do not think they should be derided for not doing so.

They are not charities.

If someone wants guaranteed free tap water they can always bring their own with them. My lack of planning or inability to be bothered does not confer any obligation on someone else, most particularly someone else who is present to turn a profit.
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[XAP]Bob
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by [XAP]Bob »

Psamathe wrote:
[XAP]Bob wrote:Of course nowadays many places are on metered water - so there is a direct cost as well...

The metered cost for a litre of water is below trivial they charge by the 1 cu m. >y supplier charges £1.53 per cu m, though they estimate the sewerage from the consumed water so maybe total of £3 per cu m. so that 1L of water would cost the business around 0.3p!

Ian


I didn't say it was significant (although it can be higher than that in other places in the country (I think Cornwall ends up over £5/m^3))...

But it is now a direct cost, that simply wasn't there before...
Given normal markup on soft drinks that ha'penny would come out at a round pound or two...
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meic
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by meic »

A true Thatcherite!

Why help each other out by reciprocity when we can charge each other for the basics instead.

Personally I prefer a world where water is available on tap.
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mjr
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by mjr »

We try to note any we find on osm.org so you can go to http://www.searchosm.com/ position the map and click search, then Travel/Tourism and Water and it should show you any that it finds.

http://www.findafountain.org/ is a similar service run by what used to be the Metropolitan Drinking Fountain and Cattle Trough Association. We used to have at least one of theirs in King's Lynn but it seems to have been removed as part of the "Transport Interchange" redevelopment :-(.

I think nearly all churchyards and allotments are on mains water unless it's pretty obviously not (butts or tanks or similar) and safe to drink, aren't they? Although an increasing number of allotments lock their taps since water meters were pretty much forced onto them.
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Bmblbzzz
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by Bmblbzzz »

Water does have social and environmental costs and like petrol the price we pay does not truly cover those costs. It's doubtful of course that money ever can. But most of those costs are from water we consume in non-liquid form.
Psamathe
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by Psamathe »

mjr wrote:We try to note any we find on osm.org so you can go to http://www.searchosm.com/ position the map and click search, then Travel/Tourism and Water and it should show you any that it finds.....

Excellent idea.

Ian
nigelnightmare
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by nigelnightmare »

What happened to all the drinking fountains?
There used to be at least one at every recreation ground and children's play area.
There used to be Two in Orpington high street, Pre Walnuts shopping center.
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Graham
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by Graham »

nigelnightmare wrote:What happened to all the drinking fountains?

The world has changed.
Liability & negligence.
Pranksters and vandals.
People with malicious intent & branded terrorists (TM).
No public money available.

Sad to say I would probably avoid a drinking fountain in some easily accessible place, e.g. a town centre

I wouldn't hesitate to use any less accessible ones e.g. on the South Downs Way ( that only walkers and cyclists could readily access ).
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Sweep
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Re: Free drinking water - what are your rights?

Post by Sweep »

NUKe wrote:
pete75 wrote:
30 years ago I stopped at Selby bus station Café and had the same experience, nice people there.


:) good karma lasts.
Sweep
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