A drop in the ocean

Fri 29 Aug, 11:22

The link below is a very interesting account of how Thames Water became debt-ridden under private ownership. As I have said many times, privatisation was like some "wide boy" coming to your house and selling you your car standing on your driveway! It was theft of what we already owned! 

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2023/jun/30/in-charts-how-privatisation-drained-thames-waters-coffers

Fri 29 Aug, 08:18

People rarely talk about the rights of access to our water supply that major corporations like Coca Cola have. Coca-Cola holds a licensed extraction of nearly 2 billion litres of water per year in the UK. As you probably know in some parts of the world licences like this have depleted water supplies for whole regions, you might have heard of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan and now currently in Pakistan. Both as a result of Nestles right to water extraction for bottled water production. 

Fri 29 Aug, 08:03

I think that it should be nationalised along with the railways etc.  At the end of the day its a total captive market.  When you go to the shops you have a choice, Heinz baked beans, Coop own, Cross and Blackwell etc,  Ford or Toyota etc etc. There's NO choice on your water provider, train operators.

Thu 28 Aug, 22:51

Thames Water should going into receivership, not sure it should be replaced by nationalisation though.

Thu 28 Aug, 20:11

Basically a bunch of thieving crooks.

Thu 28 Aug, 20:02

Hosepipe ban saves 5 million litres of water per day.*

Thames Water leaks lose 570 million litres of water per day.§

Should utilities be left in private hands? Discuss.

* https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cjey8kgn1xyo: "A hosepipe ban affecting 1.1 million people will remain in place until "prolonged and significant rainfall" replenishes supplies, Thames Water has said.

The measure came into force in July across Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire after a lack of rain and increasing demand stretched supplies.

Since then Thames Water estimated 5 million litres of water had been saved each day."

§ https://www.theguardian.com/business/article/2024/sep/08/water-firms-in-england-and-wales-lost-more-than-1tn-litres-from-leaks-last-year

"The worst performer was Thames Water, which leaked 570.4 million litres a day last year, or more than 200bn litres in total, equivalent to just under a quarter of its entire water supply."