Water watchdog OFWAT has proclaimed that three of the suppliers, other than Southern Water, are going to introduce seasonal tariffs for water consumption, between June and September.

This step has been taken to curb the shortage of water. "We encourage companies to consider innovative tariffs when looking for solutions to water resource issues in their area. Seasonal tariffs provide incentives to reduce discretionary water use at peak times", An OFWAT Spokesman said.

The customers will be paying 6% more than the standard rate, during that period and 2% less than the standard rate for the rest of the year. However, the homes without the new meters will continue to pay the flat rate of 94p per cubic meters, throughout the year.

Southern Water indicates to install 487,000 meters in the next five years.

"The tariff is not designed to penalize customers. Because the winter tariff goes down slightly, the charges should even themselves out if water use remains steady. However, the Consumer Council for Water warned the new rate could hit households that are heavy water users, such as a large family with a big garden", a Southern Water Spokesman said.

"We encourage companies to consider innovative tariffs when looking for solutions to water resource issues in their area. Seasonal tariffs provide incentives to reduce discretionary water use at peak times", An OFWAT Spokesman said.