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Mayoral rivals say cut back on bottled water
Katherine Barney, Evening Standard07.03.08
Two leading challengers in the mayoral contest have given their support to the Evening Standard's Water On Tap campaign.
Tory Boris Johnson and Liberal Democrat Brian Paddick both pledged to encourage Londoners to curb their consumption of bottled water.
It comes as Quo Vadis, one of London's most famous restaurants, announced it will not stock bottled water when it reopens in May.
The Standard is calling for restaurants and bars to offer tap water as an alternative to expensive and environmentally damaging bottled water.
Hundreds of restaurants, cafés and bars have signed up to the campaign, which is also supported by Mayor Ken Livingstone, ministers and MPs.
Mr Johnson said: "We cannot afford to waste water on the scale we have been for years.
"Bottled water is an indulgence with no health benefits. It not only costs people more, it costs the environment too."
Mr Paddick said: "When you consider the energy wasted in producing a bottle of water and how good London's water tastes, there is really no excuse to drink bottled water.
"We need to help change people's attitudes. Londoners need to feel it's socially okay to ask for tap water with a meal.
"As Mayor, I would encourage more restaurants to offer tap water up front, so people aren't having to ask for it. Drinking it will not only save you money, it will also help save the planet."
Quo Vadis's new owners said all water served at its tables would come from the tap - a move likely to be followed by other big names.
The 82-year-old Soho dining room, which used to be owned by Marco Pierre White, is undergoing a makeover after being bought by brothers Sam and Eddie Hart.
They are investing about £2.5million in restoring Quo Vadis as a glamorous art deco grill room.
Sam Hart said the tap water would be passed through a filtration system that would also carbonate it for customers who ordered sparkling water.
The water would be served in a "really smart, stylish bottle" more in keeping with the new surroundings than a jug, accompanied by bread and olives.
There would be no limit on how much water customers could ask for but there would be a cover charge of around £1.50 to £2 per head for the cost of the bottles and the filtration system.
Hart said: "It is completely green, it looks nice and tastes good - and all for a smaller charge than bottled water."
The Harts, who also own Spanish restaurants Fino and Barrafina, hope to recreate the great grill tradition largely lost when the Savoy and the Connaught hotels closed their grills.
Reader views (1)
I find this just gimmickry on the part of Boris and Brian.
I don't need a London Mayor to tell me to ask in a restaurant for tap water! The issues relating to London water, environmental concerns etc are much more complex than when eating out at restaurants and if either of these two candidates have any strategies in relation to improving London water and conserving it, we'd like to know.
- Harold, london,UK
