Severn Trent's total commitment to customer service involves the residents of Feckenham being without water supply intermittently this week.

Having telephoned their customer services department, I was told this work was necessary to ''minimise discolouration to water supply''.

At least they promise what they deliver because between 0800 Thursday and 1700 Friday (33 hours) we will not receive any discoloured water through the taps.

In fact, we won't receive any water at all.

The customer services lady suggested we may want to ''look for an alternative supply of water'' for this period.

I telephoned the French Water Board and Welsh Water but neither seemed too keen to take on such a short-term contract.

This will be more than a slight inconvenience for anybody with children, a business, a job to get ready for, fully functioning sweat glands or a half-decent internal digestive system.

I think we should all park our cars on the main roads and over the manholes on Wednesday night.

Either that or chain ourselves to the machinery. That sounds quite a greasy option however, considering there wil be no hot showers to return to afterwards.

Matt Foster

Droitwich Road

Feckenham

WATER is crucial wherever you live and not having supply of it causes a certain amount of hardship.

On Friday, Severn Trent informed the residents of Droitwich Road in Feckenham that they would be interrupting the supply from Monday to Friday this week.

While this is fine in principle as the water is back on during the evening and early morning periods, it is not acceptable that the water supplier removes the supply for 33 hours from 0800 tomorrow until 1700 hours on Friday.

Surely work can be scheduled in as per the previous few days rather than putting the residents through such an extended period of disruption.

No thought seems to have been given to people with children, the elderly or residents with poor eyesight who would be unable to read the notice that came through on Friday.

What about the regular people, who have to get up and go to work? Surely these people deserve some assistance too ?

Severn Trent's helpline was, to say the least, unhelpful.

When I called, the person I spoke to was simply not interested in my plight and suggested I make alternative arrangements. Quite difficult when Severn Trent has a monopoly. And when you are a monopoly, as everyone knows, you become complacent.

However, with Jaqui Smith MP informed, I am sure Severn Trent will take actions to limit the inconvenience to residents and financially recompense them for the inconvenience.

Steve Dalloway

Droitwich Road

Feckenham