Following the money in the privatised water industry

Your recent coverage of England’s water industry only tells half the story (Revealed: 70% of England’s water firms in foreign hands, 30 November). Privatisation has brought more than £160bn into an industry previously starved of cash, while transforming its efficiency, saving £120 a year for each customer. England’s performance compares well against international peers across drinking water quality, leakage, customer service, sewage treatment and overall investment.

We also know that water companies have much more to do, including on storm overflows, on which they are about to spend £56bn in one of England’s largest infrastructure programmes of recent times. That will transform rivers, and represents a level and speed of investment that would be inconceivable under public ownership.
Stuart Colville
Director of policy, Water UK

• Your report coincided with a letter from our water company offering us an absurd single share worth £13 in the parent company, or £13 off our bill. Some £20m is being distributed. Such inducements are immoral against accounts of unfixed water leaks and sewage discharge into our rivers. We don’t want handouts from water companies, but full investment in core services.
Brian and Annie Marshall
Butleigh, Somerset

• While I agree with the notion of renationalising the water industry, and indeed many others that have been sold off, I believe that equal blame for these problems lies with the pathetic regulators. If they had been privatised and paid generously for success, and very little for failure, things may well have been much better all round.
Chris Widden
Gloucester

• “No political party is advocating renationalisation” of the water companies, you say (England’s water can be renationalised without compensation, activists say, 2 December). Really? The Green party advocates bringing the water supply back into public ownership as soon as practicable.
Jean Betteridge
Manchester

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