A widow from Garff is calling on the government to flush away the water rate and replace it with water meters.

Chrissie Parkes, of Ramsey Road, Lonan, said the current system punishes single occupancy homes.

Mrs Parkes said she is not opposed to paying her rates bills, but thinks the rate is too high.

She added: ’How can it be right that I can get a 22 litre bin emptied once a week for a cost of £144, commissioners, that’s the street lights and everything else, £457, both bargains.

’How in the name of all that’s holy can they put a charge of £1,517.59 for water?’

Including the £57.72 church yard rate, Mrs Parkes received a rates bill totalling £2,176.63 this year.

But she has refused to pay the full amount.

Instead she sent a cheque for £959.21 to Treasury, which would be her bill if her water rate was reduced to that of the family of five that lives next door. In response, she was sent a final reminder demanding full payment.

Tynwald last month approved a new pricing strategy for Manx Utilities which will see the water rate cut from 341p in the pound to 230p from April next year - but the sewerage rate increased from the current 98p in the pound to 210p.

Mrs Parkes isn’t billed for the sewerage rate as she has a septic tank.

As part of its new pricing strategy, Manx Utilities is not proposing the introduction of water metering for domestic customers but said it will consider adopting universal metering for all non-domestic customers.

Its report to Tynwald stated: ’Universal water metering would have a significant cost and could have a disproportionate adverse impact on low-income customers.

’Additional metering of non-domestic water customers would deliver many benefits at a significantly reduced cost.

Progress on additional non-domestic metering is anticipated by 2022.’

But Mrs Parkes said she cannot see why water should be pegged to your home’s rateable value.

She has offered to pay for a water meter, its installation and for a transponder to read it.