Water truckers say the pressure put on them by limited access to fresh water may be eased by the end of the week.

The Bermuda Water Trucker Association (BWTA) met with Works and Engineering Minister Derrick Burgess on Tuesday to discuss their frustration, caused by the recent water shortage and shorter opening hours for water outlets.

In the House of Assembly, the Minister had explained that the reduced hours were needed to ensure that the tanks were able to refill overnight and homes without water tanks would not run dry. He said the restrictions were temporary, and that the construction of new water outlets and the expansion of an outlet at Tyne's Bay would relieve the pressure.

Yesterday BWTA head Russ Ford said: "We heard the Minister's plan, and we provided him with the concerns we've been having.

"I'm confident that there will be a tangible results, as soon as by the end of the week."

Among the suggestions put forward by the water truckers are a staggering of the opening hours so that water could be available to the truckers 24 hours a day.

"Right now, we can't get water anywhere after 8 p.m., so staggering the hours will really help people who call later in the day," said Mr. Ford.

"We're also hoping to get updated reports throughout the day so drivers are not going all over the Island trying to find where water is available."

Despite the rain over the last few days, Mr. Ford said that water was still in short supply. "There are still a lot of people out of water," he said.

"Even though we have had rain, there was also a good bit of wind, so there really wasn't a lot of catchment for the tanks."

While he believes the meeting was a step towards tackling the issue, he stressed that the public also have a large role to play in dealing with the annual water shortage.

"We all need to remember that we need to conserve," he said. "People have to understand that in Bermuda, water is a finite resource."