Smell the Profits!

Water Companies are, in effect, local monopolies. In Scotland and Wales, they are non-profit organisations and can direct any income to improving their infrastructure. In contrast, the English Water Companies are privatised. Privatisation was 'sold' as a means of reducing the cost of needed improvements to the tax payer. What has happened, however, is that the English Water Companies spend most of their profits on bonuses for their Chief Executives and returns to shareholders. Some water companies have elected to maximise their profits, by discharging raw sewage into rivers and coastal seas. This is much cheaper than improving their Victorian infrastructure (https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2022/jan/18/the-guardian-view-on-water-pollution-come-clean-on-sewage). The English Water Companies are officially allowed to discharge sewage, only when serious flooding occurs. The companies have also been allowed to self-regulate their activities. This, 'gentleman's agreement' has been described as 'cutting red tape'. The Environmental Agency has also been greatly reduced in size. The agency now simply cannot 'police' whether all discharges are legal and prosecute offending water companies. UK rivers are consequently in a poor environmental state. Is anyone surprised?