It’s no secret that England and Wales’ water system leaks. More than a trillion litres of water are lost each year, tonnes of untreated sewage flow into our waterways, and over £85bn has flown to investors, most of whom are based overseas, since privatisation.
This is a system in deep crisis. Yet the government has refused to even consider returning water companies to public ownership, commissioning an independent review of the sector that was not given a mandate to look into nationalisation.
The Cunliffe Review published its findings last week, recommending that water firms be issued fines to finance the replacement of Ofwat with a new regulator that will try to tackle ever-increasing pollution and spiralling bills.
