JAMES Frith has hit out at United Utilities over the hosepipe ban which is set to come into force next month.

The Bury North MP has co-ordinated a letter on behalf of 16 Greater Manchester Labour MPs, which has been sent to Steve Mogford, the water company’s chief executive, to ‘express concern’ about the ban, which will be introduced to the region on August 5.

The ban will apply to domestic customers who get their water supply from United Utilities, with the exception of customers in Carlisle and the north Eden Valley, where supplies remain at reasonable levels.

Those who flout it will receive a warning and could ultimately be prosecuted and face a £1,000 fine.

This week, it was also revealed that United Utilities were to pay out almost £181 million in dividends to investors on August 3.

In the letter, which has also been signed by Bury South MP Ivan Lewis, the MPs say they ‘support the need for a hosepipe ban where absolutely necessary’ but that ‘it will smart for many households to be told they need to shoulder the burden when approximately one quarter of all water in your network is lost through leakage and you made in excess of £300 million in profits last year’.

They went on to request details about what United Utilities is doing ‘to address leakage and expand capacity to avoid similar issues in the future’.

On Monday, just days after the letter was sent, a burst water main caused flooding at The Mill Gate shopping centre.

Following the incident, Mr Frith tweeted: “I hope we’ll not learn of records of reported leakage or disrepair being reported before now by Bury’s brilliant retailers?”

Mr Mogford has since responded to say that the decision to introduce the hose pipe was taken 'to help United Utilities safeguard essential water supplies for longer'.

Addressing the leakages, he said that the company had doubled the number of repair teams they employ, with more than 100 dig and repair teams currently working across the region.

He added: "We are again on track to meet or beat our regulatory leakage target for the 13th consecutive year.

"However, we are acutely aware that there is always more we can, and will, do."