A LEADING Conservative says cutting off water supplies to those who fail to pay their bills would lead to poor sanitation and put public health at risk.

Eric Pickles, the shadow local government minister, spoke out during a visit to Ashford when he also warned the government had failed to acknowledge the adverse impact its house-building plans for the area and the rest of Kent would have on water supplies.

The MP was responding to a report by an influential committee of peers, which said people who did not pay their water bills should have their supply restricted.

The science and technology committee says around 15 per cent of people do not pay their bills, knowing they would not have their supply cut off.

But Mr Pickles said he did not support such measures.

He stressed: "When you talk about taking such steps, it is a matter of public health and if you start cutting people off, you are talking about cutting them off from proper sanitation, which might have an on-going impact on neighbourhoods. I am reluctant to go down that route."

Mr Pickles was on a fact-finding visit to Ashford to see the town’s Gateway Centre, a "one-stop" shop offering residents access to a range of public sector organisations.

He also warned that the government was in danger of creating "dormitory" commuter towns if it failed to provide the cash for new community facilities.