Diners 'fork out too much for restaurants' bottled water'
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Diners believe restaurants are charging too much for bottled mineral water and should offer tap water first, according to a poll.
Bottled water costs up to £4 a litre in many establishments. One five-star hotel in London charges £50 a litre for volcanic water from New Zealand.
In a poll by the National Consumer Council, 70 per cent of respondents said they felt bottled water was too expensive in restaurants, while 15 per cent thought it was a satisfactory price. Only 2 per cent thought it was "good value".
Some 83 per cent of people said that waiters should offer tap water before mineral water. Almost everyone felt that tap water should be free while eating out.
The survey, of 988 people by TNS, is a dent to the reputation of the £1.6bn-a-year bottled-water industry, which has been under attack by environmentalists for contributing to climate change by shipping billions of litres around the world. Disposal of plastic and glass bottles is another problem. Each Briton, on average, now drinks 37 litres a year.
Carl Belgrove, of the National Consumer Council, said: "Some restaurants are willing to offer tap water ... but the majority push mineral water just to make a quick profit. It's no surprise that most people (92 per cent) say they should have the right to free tap water."
Bob Cotton, the chief executive of the British Hospitality Association, rejected the call: "Consumers have a choice and bottled water sales are still rising."
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments