People in the Royston area may have been fearing a mole invasion because a whole lot of holes have appeared around town in recent weeks, like the one outside Becky Littlechild’s house (pictured).

It’s actually the work of Affinity Water, which is installing water meters in the town for all customers who currently don’t have one.

The project has caused concern among some customers, who fear that having a meter may prove to be more expensive.

A spokesman said: “We are giving customers a choice to continue paying a non-metered bill for two years.

“During this two year period, we are providing customers with information about their water usage every six months and showing them what they would pay on a meter, compared with their current bill.

“We will support those customers who would see an increase, by providing targeted information and advice on how to reduce their bills.”

The company is aiming to complete external dig work in about three months.

“Some meters may need to be fitted internally, but this work will be planned with customers.

The spokesman added: “To fit meters, we sometimes have to dig holes in the pavement and customers’ driveways, which are secured with weighted barriers and signage if they are left open for a period of time.

“We aim to restore the pavement within three working days.

“These meter installations are part of a comprehensive water saving programme of reducing leakage and saving water.

“We supply water in one of the fastest growing, most economically active regions in the UK.

“We estimate that by 2040, there will be an extra 600,000 people living in 280,000 new homes in our supply area.

“People in the southeast of England are among the highest water users in the country, in an area which is at risk of water scarcity.

“In order to protect this finite resource, we work with customers to help them use less water.”

The company offers free home water efficiency checks where a qualified expert visits homes to install free water saving devices and gives advice on how to save water, save energy and save money.

If you’d like to book an appointment, either call 0345 357 2403 option 3 or email homecheck@affinitywater.co.uk.