Campaigners have today delivered a ‘rain tax’ petition to the door of Downing Street, and are demanding action from the Government on the practice by some water companies of charging non-household users who are not businesses - including places of worship and community halls - in the same way as they charge business customers.

The ‘rain tax’ petition has attracted more than 45,000 signatures on the Downing Street petition site making it the biggest electronic petition to be submitted to the Prime Minister in 2009 (see http://www.dontdrainus.org/ for more details).

Speaking at today's petition handover outside No 10 Downing Street, Martin Dales, from the campaign DontDrainUs.org, said: “We are extremely disappointed that, despite attracting the highest number of signatures on any issue this year, the Government has taken no action whatsoever on this matter. Neither have we received any response at all through the Prime Minister's website, as is promised when e-petitions reach just 200 signatures. It makes a mockery of the initiative of seeking e-petitions, if the Government then chooses to ignore the issues it doesn't want to deal with.

“Why is the Government happy to stand back and watch £100 million being drained from churches, charities and clubs? Water companies and Ofwat have decided that we are an easy target and ministers seem happy to let them break the Government’s own guidance.”

The man behind the petition, David Boddy, a Churchwarden from North Thornaby on Teesside, said “I am delighted to see the level of support for this unjust ‘tax’. I hope the Government not only listens to us but takes some decisive action to redress the imbalance that has been created by Northumbrian Water in its charging. Churches and charities are not businesses and should be treated differently and fairly.”

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