North East firm lands deal to supply London network of water fountains

A County Durham firm is set for expansion after securing a deal with Thames Water to supply the city of London with a network of water fountains.

MIW Water Cooler Experts, which is based in Stanley, has secured the contract with support from Newcastle-headquartered commercial law firm Watson Burton.

As part of its commitment to reducing single use plastic, MIW will work with Thames Water and the Mayor of London to deliver an initial network of 100 water fountains across the city, in a bid to encourage people to refill rather than buy new bottles of water.

Initially a computer supplies firm, MIW was founded in 1989 and has grown into a designer and manufacturer of refilling stations, working in partnership with US giant Elkay International to create its water fountains.

Mike Winter, managing director of MIW Water Cooler Experts, commented: “It was important for us to agree the right terms to ensure this project was able to get underway quickly, and having worked previously with Watson Burton we were confident in their abilities.

“MIW Water Cooler Experts has a long-standing heritage – we’ve been specialising in supplying indoor and outdoor water fountains for 30 years. This latest initiative is another example of cities up and down the UK looking at ways of reducing the amount of waste from single use plastics, which we’re passionate about.

“Rather than the average adult in London buying three plastic water bottles every week, now Londoners on the move can quickly access free, great tasting water.”

Marc Allison, partner at Watson Burton, added: “We were pleased to be instructed by MIW to review and negotiate this agreement. Despite a degree of negotiation between the two parties, the contract was agreed within two weeks so that work could begin.

“We were delighted to be part of a project that should help reduce single-use plastic waste in London.”