Britain's Water Scandal | Dispatches | Channel 4 Documentaries
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- Опубліковано 19 гру 2022
- Jimmy Doherty investigates Britain's water companies dumping untreated sewage into our rivers and seas. Why have companies been getting away with it for so long?
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Privatisation...this is the problem. With so much of the UK, from the trains to our energy...putting it in the hands of greedy pricks has done nothing good
Nationalising the water companies won't fix it, it will make it more expensive, look at the state of the country as it is now because of the government
Very true. But whilst nationalisation would be a great move, its would need to be effectively managed by public bodies. The NHS is a great thing and is an example to this day of mis-management and wasted money. I'm not for one minute suggesting the NHS should be privatised; it just shows that the balance isn't easy to obtain.
NHS next
@@beeftec5862 well this is exactly the problem. As we see from countless councils up and down a country, they couldn’t run a bath, and the worst part is, if you think the private companies get away with stuff, you should see what the public sector can get away with
All foreign owned and so don’t care about looking after United Kingdom’s rivers and seas. As with covid it’s all about greed, profit and not giving a dam if people die because if their unscrupulous and illegal actions.
In Scotland we have a public water supply and this is NOT happening in Scotland, privatisation is not working for the public but only for the shareholders.
Scotland shows devolved government works, we need counties and Northern city's to demand devolution too
@@wanderingohm - Scotland needs to escape the English madness of Brexshit. 🏴🇪🇺
💯
@Controversial Chris - Absolute rubbish, it is illegal to pump raw sawage into the waterways in Scotland! Check some facts before you tar Scotland with England!
@Controversial Chris
People are actually lost nowadays
Every thing about this country has become about looking after the corporations, with no care at all about the public.
THIS ^^^
That’s a Tory government for 12 years fucked everything even the water
Time for change isn’t it no care for one another or the environment all to keep the rich the richest
And folk still vote no point
Don't forget the s word Brenda....the shareholder. We have not even BEGUN to acknowledge how the shareholder, (there might be one near you) has f****d things up big style.
It's simple maths.
They make billions each year and maybe get huge fines once every 3-5 years. They probably have board meetings to discuss the funding for the fines if caught.
Excellent point!
Same as banks the fine is minor too the crime
it's worse then that. If they get fined, they just put our bills up to pay the fine, then keep the bill up saying its funding improvements,
What happens to the fines it’s just another tax ! It’s a win win for the government, a little slap on the wrist for the companies and a big loss to the population, living in the south west we pay more than most . It’s time for change water , gas and electricity supply should go back into government control as a fundamental need of the people. It is simple we are being screwed. Which party do you trust that’s the question not this that’s for sure.
Oh, their latest scam is to force smart meters on you. Supposedly to help you save money/water. Read that as how they are going to scrape more money from you and take complete control over your access to water. Social credit system. Nestle chief thinks you shouldn't have free access to water anywhere in the world. NWO tyranny. Sustainability bs. All the same. You will have nothing.
Everyone who has paid to get their sewage treated should be refunded when it's just been dumped
We can't deal with our waste because it would cost the shareholders their dividends. That is the bottom line.
Since 1991 when the Westminster Tories privatised the English water companies the mainly foreign owned companies have paid out £57 billion to their shareholders.
Because of the bad publicity to the Tory party who set up the system and the private water companies for pumping shit into English rivers and seas.
The private water companies have said that they will be putting water bills up further to invest £10 billion in infrastructure to help stop shit being pumped into English rivers and seas, infrastructure that should already be in place to stop shit being pumped into English rivers and seas.
The English public will be paying twice for this infrastructure, the Westminster Tories have allowed and are allowing the English private water companies to screw the English people.
The Netherlands did not privitise the water companies because of this reason. We barely have overflows and are separating the rainwater from sewage. I was shocked the other day to read raw sewage is discharged about 400.000 times per year. That's a 3rd world level of pollution.
Don’t worry it’s coming your way with every tide
At the end of the day it seems the fines are far cheaper than paying to fix the problem.they should stop their profits being paid as dividends until its sorted out.
We came back to the UK a few years ago, after living for years in a, mainly, third-world country. I was shocked and horrified to learn that the UK has exactly the same water issues as South Africa.
I wonder why we are always sending money to other countries then,when the government should get their own house in order ?
TRUE, SHARED IT WITH FELLOW SAFFERS IN THE UK, THINKING THE SAME!👍🇿🇦🇬🇧🇿🇦🇬🇧
This is solely an England issue, it is not a UK problem.
It doesn't surprise us British who watch millions of pounds a year go to apparently poorer countries from charity!!!
As we are now again an independent nation it's time that our home bred globalists begin to understand it's time to build Britain again and help others with any cash left over.
"Charity begins at home" if I remember correctly.
@@alba9507 yawn
Same with everything, it's all about profits.
Thanks so much for this! Vital and well executed journalism on a disgusting scandal
The thing is, it's not really a scandal. It's been common knowledge since the water companies were privatised. A National disgrace.
@@gwaponobby I totally agree but you'd be amazed and the number of people who are totally unaware despite the independent reporting and it even occasionally making it onto the Tory client media (oh sorry, I mean "national media"). I was chatting to a family friend about this literally a few days ago and they'd never even heard of any of it despite them being in the journalism field themselves! Madness.
There shouldn't be so much emphasis on swimming. It's like swimming is the only issue. I know they only have so much time in a program like this, but the severity of the environmental breakdown of rivers and seas is so much more important than people not being able to swim safely.
I worked in a food factory, they pour their food waste direct to the drainage. I reported them to the environment agency. They told me that because the waste is not near the rivers or waters, it's okay to dump it into the drains.
Disgusting behaviour.
Food waste is normally ok as it's organic and can be broken down fairly easily as long as it's not thick fats.
ridiculous how can it be ok to dump unlimited food waste that may be toxic into the water - you are either corrupt or brainwashed and with our dumbed - down society we have no chance to survive this for much longer
Well done for voicing your concern. How can they be allowed as in my area many homes had collapsed drains caused by ignorant home tenants putting all sorts down the drains, which became impacted busting the narrow pipes. I thought drains were just for waste water & sewage waste.
Food waste isn't quite as bad, sewage is bad for the reasons like things other than poo and wee, like tampons. But obviously the poo is poison for the waters too.
So glad you're shedding a light on this. Thank you
The Surfers Against Sewage interactive map shows live locations of which beaches are safe from sewage and which ones have pollution warnings in place, definitely worth using it until these companies sort out this mess.
The poo and other crap still settles and mixes with the sediment on the bottom and what have ya. Surely it also washes up on the beach, even if so fine you don't see it. Your feet still touch the bottom and when you wade through the shallows you kick it up again. For years of human dung buildup, even if for a while there is no sewage dump in the surrounding area, I'd still not venture myself in to the disgusting Victorian era-like open-air cesspit this country calls its waters and beaches.
The water companies don't care about fines.
They just pass the cost onto their customers.
I was about to say this but the amount they can charge is regulated.
Actually I've just had a letter from mine stating that my next bill is paid for. Because of poor service. Everyone's is. In our authority.
Maybe people should protest against those companies and get them all sacked.
If the water companies get fined aren't they just going to put it on our bills? Better to jail the scumbags.
Why jail them?we are the ones who will end up paying for their stay,better still,freeze all their assets and make them do hard labour ie help clean up the mess they created.
Sadly they can't jail people hiding behind limited companies. It's an absolute con that nobody can be held personally responsible for this environmental offence.
In most cases there not doing anything illegally cause the government allows dumping of sewage
I think it is fair to say many Mp,s will have shares in water companies, this needs to be investigated
Not just MP's Michael.....maybe your neighbour, cousin, friend ? etc etc
we went to weymouth this summer- ive been going there for 30+years and this year the water was filthy filled with wet wipes and dirty foam....got an infection in my leg and its still healing now in december ......im 55 and holidayed in uk all my life but never again will me or my children go to the beaches around britain
Total disgrace! Why is the government allow this to happen? They should be mate to pay for all the damage they have made! Shame on them.
This is why water is privatised in England, the government has no responsibility for a private company, who may chose shareholders dividend over investment in infrastructure. So all the government can do is fine the water company responsible who will drag their feet as much as possible and if the government does take the water company to court then it's the tax payer or bill payer who ends up paying in the end in any case.
They would happily pay, with our money
@@therealrobertbirchall
Yeah but they can only say quality of life isn’t their responsibility for so long before they’re all culled to make way for community leaders. The current system of electing executives has led us down this apathetic and cracked path that we’re on.
Ha ha....do you seriously think the government give a sh1t ?
Because they don't want to. They have decimated the EA. There are TWO officers to respond to, investigate and prosecute all water incidents in the whole of my county.
The fact we permit dumping sewage into rivers & oceans is crazy. It's meant to be in the ground
In non third world countries we separate storm and sewage water.
@@Robert-cu9bm third world infrastructure is new, Britain has sewerage which is over 100 years old. The UK essentially has to completely rebuild its sewerage system again.
How will fining companies fix this mess? Where does the money go from these fines? Either jail those responsible Or ensure the fines are used to improve the sewage system. Importantly it needs to be used in the area where the offence occurred and not be syphoned off for anything else.
Quite right Mark.....fines are a nice little smokescreen.
Fines go straight to the government, the EA doesn't get a penny. On top of that our budget has been cut by 50% in 10 years. We don't have the numbers to even attend incidents let alone prosecute
Perhaps the best way to prevent sewage spillage is to separate water drainage from sewer pipes. Then prohibit any sewage dumping at all. This would force the water companies to invest in the treatment plants. Create laws with personal penalties punishable with prison terms. A law to stop dividends etc for a certain amount of time until the systems and practices have been upgraded would work perfectly
Thanks, Jimmy. Ryde is my town, and I haven't risked swimming at all even though the beach looks really inviting because I don't trust the official data enough. You have confirmed my suspicions. Very sad, and it'll only get worse with our population increasing exponentially. The government have too many commitments, and improving water quality isn't one of them.
This is blatant criminality.
Let's be quite clear here, this is England's water scandal not Britain's! No private water companies in Scotland .
@Tango_sixteen - No it's not! Give me one example? Don't tar Scotland with your shame!
No but they have private contacts running the assets and had the worst pollution known in the history of the Environment Agency only just a few years back that made the 6 o-clock news in Edinburgh. In fact it was Themes Water that had the contract before it got awarded to a European company.
@@belzc6020 - Absolute rubbish, Scottish water is public owned & run. Off you pop you clown 🤡
Yes not privatised but Scottish water creates huge amounts of sewage too
Just think of how clean our water would be if the Environment Agency operated like a traffic warden
---
Edit: The above is not a criticism of any individual, but the agency as a whole.
In terms of the budget, why can't it operate on a 'profit share' model where the agency gets to keep 50% of all the fines it imposes?
😆 crystal clear
They did once apon a time.
Government slashed the funding across the board.
And not just in this industry.
I used to work for the EA. Lots of well meaning, dedicated people entirely hamstrung by Government.
😱🤣🤣✌️
Another fake agency
Basic infrastructure should NEVER be in private hands. Government needs to buy all IMMEDIATELY, investigate practices and imprison the perpetrators of offences
Huh?!
Should never be in private hands but you want them Privatised immediately?!?!
Wtf?!?!
Huh
Another disaster from this joke of a government 🤬
Also , some The Environmental Agency pension funds are invested with the water companies . The EA bosses claimed that they didn’t know anything about this. You could make this stuff up. 😢😢
Makes you skeptical doesn't it ?
for anyone familiar with southern water's recently new australian owners, none of this should be new news as they've got a well documented history back in australia of cutting corners for profit.
Sewage and storm are separated in Australia.
Maybe UK can copy.
@@Robert-cu9bm that sounds too much like common sense. and common sense usually has an initial outlay that firms like the macquarie group would rather not pay because profit trumps everything, always.
i would say nationalise, but that'd only give the tories even more excuses to raise taxes completely unnecessarily. and they love unnecessary taxes.
I’m shocked/horrified that a massive corporation who get rich of the public are corrupt?!
Really!!?
@@robertawallace9817 sarcasm
Corporations are pure evil
I live at the side of the River Douglas in Wigan, Tesco have a super store just up the road and I have counted 27 shopping trollies dumped into the river the mesh of the trollies catches all the litter forming huge brown foam islands that have rats using them to feed. I complained to Tesco who told me they have a team to remove these trollies, that never happened, I wrote to the council, my MP and the rivers agancey none of them have done anything to clean this mess up.
Nandy won't do anything about it, she's too busy inviting Gimmegrants into Wigan.
If it's safe to do so , and you have the means , maybe you and some friends can do it , and charge Tesco for your time plus any expenses incurred .
Make a big 'hoo har' about it , so that I'd doesn't become an issue again . 🤔
@@keithawhosoever5384 Update all trollies have now been removed so someone must have reacted to my complaints.
No surprise there.....what a shithole this country has become run by greed and power.
I spent ten years doing contracting work for Thames Water. I was often told when I was on one of their fresh water or sewage sites to slow down and take it easy. The lads like to do a 2..3 hour working day and spend the rest of the time dossing. Nothing can be done about this as the unions won't allow change. One guy told me he was bored out of his mind and was struggling to work at such a slow speed. My neighbour's son-in-law worked for Thames Water and was asked at the interview, "Do you like reading?" When he asked, "why?" he was told he'd be doing plenty of it, parked up in lay-bys. The solution? Sack 15% of all Thames Water sewage and fresh water staff and management. The company would not even notice their departure.
This is the culture within all public services too, hospitals, council's, army depots, I left my job in COD Donnington in Telford in my 20's, pure boredom, I used to clock on then cycle home, return to clock off and cycle home again, NOBODY missed me or half the depot doing the same. These people need to be put to work because boredom and lethargy are the main reason for not retaining any half decent employee within the public sector.
@@daveedwards7366 This is why PPP is better that leaving all in the hands of either public or private ownership. It should be public ownership with private administration. A contracted private company does the staffing and resource allocation, while a public board of experts oversee them.
@@BashDeCash spot on mate!!!
And once again. It's all down to the government NOT spending enough money
The problem is they're not taxing wealth. Just a 1% tax on 1% of the wealthiest people in the UK would raise between £70bn and £140bn a year.
@@barking_mad6649 not taxing the wealthy? You do realise that those who earn over 50,000 get taxed 40p for every pound and those over 150,000 get taxed 45p in the pound? That does not include National insurance? We all pay water rates for what we use so if the system cannot handle the shit being forced through it then perhaps there should be far less bonuses for the fat cat directors as previously stated and the money being paid by households be used to fix the issues.
@@barking_mad6649
Yes tall poppy syndrome will fix it
I really enjoyed this short documentary, thank you for getting this information out there. I think you missed a really disturbing issue related to illegal dumping of untreated sewage though, that being that shell fish can aggregate viral particles, such as Hepatits A and potentially COVID-19. Therfore, this scandal might have had an impact on shell fish borne viral infections. Food for thought.
Ridiculous that storm water & foul water run in the same system. They should have been separated out years ago.
Sorry but we should be able to Sue the water company’s, I know Saltburn, Cleveland had a really big problem, the whole community got behind during the waterboard. It has now put a new sewage bypass system away from the beach. People should get there local Councils to sue the Waterboards, that’s there job and they should take responsibility for there lack of
upkeep.🤓
Clever filming. Not a single face nappie shown. As a fisherman I can honestly say the waterways are in a terrible state thanks to pollution. Interesting this program didn't show all the dirty discarded masks too.
@@sim5361 bell
Criminals....with friends in government.....arrest them all
The bosses should be held responsible for this, and if serious enough they should get jail time, after all, they are the ones pocketing the money that should have been invested into the business and system, the law MUST change to to make them personally responsible for this, it is dangerous !!
🤔 The fish shown in the video at 2:36 are Siamese Algae Eaters (Crossocheilus oblongus). A species of tropical fish, common in the aquarium trade, but unable survive in the cold waters of the UK 🤔
I thought they looked familiar!I have some in my aquarium,what on earth are they doing there?
@@gerryxanthopoulou1279 either someone's released them there in summer (hopefully not as they'll die in the winter), or that particular clip was recorded in an aquarium or a different country. Not great for credibility with a pretty serious issue.
It is often warmer near sewage outlets so non indigenous fish can survive. It can upset the local ecosystems to release non native species.
The whole county's infrastructure is to small but we keep building houses and letting more and more people in.
It's not that though. It's a Government who won't tax and limit profit of large corporations and instead let them make vast profit. Thames Water made £400m profit last year alone.
Water should be profit neutral.
The water company do it at Tilbury all the time as there sewage works is a stone's throw from the Thames, even see it at low tide
When you have sewerage in government, it trickles down through the system.
How about shareholders take a hit in profits instead of bill increases to the public....
How about we nationalise public services and reinvest all profits back into infrastructure?
If we truly had a government that didn't want it to happen it won't happen the fines wouldn't need to be paid because the ceo's would be in prison. The problem is at the top of the chain.
When privatisation was promoted in the 80's we were told only the private sector could provide the funds for investment but because of poor regulation profits were put before investment and we see the result. Population and building expansion and uncontrolled immigration has only added to this , Britain is totally unable to plan and govern itself properly .
An utterly crazy situation. The Government body fines the water company, where does the money go? Surely to make this better, the money fined should be used to build better infrastructure to increase capacity...
BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE SHOULD NOT BE PRIVATISED IT SHOULD BE RUN AT PAR.
we should reidrect the sewage overflows towards the propperties of the local council members
The point of privatisation was so that the companies could borrow on the public market and be more efficient. Didn't work out.
All this hasn't occurred just because we left the EU, this has been going on for a long time within the EU
The companies also use money made in regulated markets like the UK to subsidise lucrative business in other countries.
Look at how Thames Water sold off a load of reservoirs for lucrative building land and then tried to ram through compulsory purchase for more land later to make new reservoirs. All the time letting thousands or millions of gallons leak out of their pipes.
The environment agency, like many of the other regulators are unfit for purpose and look after the interests of business and not the public. Remember that the EA were responsible for the policies that lead to the massive flooding in the Somerset levels a few years ago.
I work as a leakage technician on the fresh water line, for a company that are contractors of southern water. Right I'm not defending sewage dumping of course not and I don't know everything about it as I work with fresh. But, what's the alternative, the sewage doesn't just disappear if you don't dump it. If the storm overflow reaches capacity and the sewage isn't removed then it will just come up back out of the manholes that carry it away. I.e, all over your town and city. In the interest of balance, I feel this fact should have been stated
Profits and shareholder dividends are prioritized over other considerations.
11:55 Corn is always a good start! Removing significant outliers from results is pretty bad. Out with a range should be reportable as an entity in it's own right.
On two separate occasions spanning a year a water company sent me a huge bill stating it came from my water meter reading. They chased me with debt agents until I pointed out I DO NOT HAVE A METER! I do not have a contract with these liars. When I pointed out they had on separate occasions made fraudulent claims they went quiet (until next time). This is criminal behavior and needs to be investigated.
England and Wales, as you say Scotland never privatised our water.
Much less in the way of intentional discharges when you run a service rather than a business.
So much for raising the standards of the electorate
If they get the permit .The water companies still get to dump sewage 🤔
Like if we legalise weed, we will stop all people illegally taking it.
In order to stop this action, people need to with hold paying the water companies. We have a contract with these companies they clean and supply drinking water. Which they are breaking that contract, so why pay for a product that does not work.
there is something very wrong here, private companies take proffits when there is an excess of money after all work is done, these companies are taking proffits when there is work outstanding to bring works to required capacity, these companies should be renationalised if they will not comply
For dereliction of duty’s over national environment the water companies directors and managers have their pensions sequestered to rescue funds to try and reduce the damage done,Directors also banned from any future employment in public sector employment now
I used to fit sensors in these overflows. Thousands up and down the country. 4/5 year contracts. They have these contracts with lots of different company's. These contracts are worth a fortune. You wouldn't believe the money these water company's pay out outsourcing. Its a business model. Lines there pockets but ultimately this is what your left with.....
There's no money in clean water because it costs money. There is money in dirty water because they save money.
Thames Water made £2bn in 20/21. Says all you need to know.
There should be no profit made from water. Period.
f........ sick sick sick
All share dividends halted, the subsequent funds reinvested and repair, redesigning of water systems can take place 👍🏾
Check your water provider on Companies House. Look under the People Tab & then People with significant control. Notice anything? Count the Chinese, American & other nationals - make sure you follow to all Holding Companies too.
I had absolutely no idea. Disgusting.! Appreciate this. Bless 👊
You had no idea because u dont care this is old news lol
@@jayjay-zb8zg jog on.!
So a permit makes it OK ,how ?
Surely the CEOs etc of these companies need their bonuses stopped or even reclaimed. They are responsible for their companies success or failure. Someone on the front line who got it wrong would certainly be financially punished.
All UK water companys arnt owned in the UK, plus the Tory's allow most dumping of sewage
I am sure they would love an extra £65 on our water bills - BUT if they did do that we would pay BUT THEY WOULD NOTHING AND TAKE THE MONEY !!!
WHY DON'T THEY BURN IT ??????????????
They should charge the ultra wealthy to resolve the issue, instead they want to make the working class lives even harder
@@cavendish009 Because dewatering it and drying it is costly and unpopular
Surely it's common sense you can't keep adding new housing estates and factories, plumb them into an aged inadequate infrastructure and expect it to cope. There's been a total lack of investment for decades in favour of profit. They built a new housing estate near me ( one of many) then stared to have trouble with the sewage mains...they ended up digging the mains out and replacing with bigger capacity pipes...doesn't solve the overall problem but I guess the builders can wash their hand if it now if anything happens further down...we're going backwards in the chase for improving and protecting our environment....it's fuckked!
It works like this... A new development is proposed by big players like Barratt/Taylor Wimpey/Persimmon and it requires consent from the water company. Example - 500 new houses with an occupancy rate of 2.5 people per house. Water company does an engineering model of the additional demand put upon existing water infrastructure. Then they fire a £££ cost estimate for upgrade back to the developer. Example - £7 million to serve new drinking water and waste water need. Developer pays the £7 million to the water company and they give planning consent. Houses now get built with consent, but the water company pockets the £7 million and does not upscale the network - Or they spend £3 million and pocket the change. The housing developer factors in £7 million across 500 houses into the sale price of the house. You are correct, it's a broken system in my view.
I bet Sunak family don’t do any swimming on our beaches.
Stop the water companies' bonuses and dividends until they clean up our waterways.
The same applies to water itself for drinking and home use. Not sewage but so called water shortages when we have had large rainfall patterns all winter. Basically we still have the same reservoirs serving nearly triple the population they were designed for.
Poor investment…profits going into pockets and not services.
Pollution like this happens here in Spain. No money to get the treatment works up to EU standards. Blue flag beaches are meant to be monitored too. However, the water quality testing is of the same standard, not often and some results can be ignored.
Spanish inland water, (rivers) have an issue too.
The difference between the UK and and Spain is that the press do not investigate and shame. The Spanish water industry is run by private companies, they act more like contractors to local government. They do not charge much for the services and neither do the bosses gain huge sums in payment. I do not know who is responsible for environmental controls. Maybe SEPORNA a division of the police whose work is to protect the environment.
The dark, depressing side of privatisation.
Its happening everywhere including scotland and always will because people also misconnect foul sewage with storm drains which leads to rivers
Interesting that you end up with the word gamble. As I understood it, if you invested your money in a business you could make money, or lose it. But the water companies shareholders are protected, we pay they make money. £65 per annum to fix things, which will in fact go straight into their pockets. Its the NHS next folks.
there no better than fly tippers and charge us for it people need to boycott the water companys f em
Broken Tory Britain
My dad would love that guy's camper van.
My dad bought one for me in the late 70s early 80s
"Do you have to trust what the water companys tell you?"
"Yep!"
"Could you not leave your office and go test this shit for yourself? I mean you are being paid to do a job, right?"
Before Privatization things like Water, Sewage, Electricity, Gas and Phones ect, so when County Councils needed to expand by private development and nothing could start until all the facilities requirements were met. And this would take about 10 year's or so. Now they are all privatized it must be near impossible.
Strange how you didn't include The northwest Lancashire.2 years ago their was large areas poisoned by the drinking water.I looked up the purity of the drinking water after being treated .Their was over 2% herbicides and pesticides left after treatment,and you wonder why everyone is getting Cancer
Renationalising the water management is a must, the same goes for all the utilities! Or we will be like India!
Short term profit over long - term good strategic planning to benefit the masses .Just horrific .
Stop paying large bonuses and share holders.
Manaus is my town. brazil has exactly the same water issues
The water companies should be made to use their profits and money for shareholders and bonuses to upgrade and improve there capacity and to reduce leaks.
To begin with I would like to see the ground rain water kept seperate from the sewage system. I would like to see water and sewage placed in the hands of district councils and financed by the rates system. Fortunately I live in Scotland and we do not appear to have this problem, at least I am not aware of it.
WKK
In most properties built from the 60's rainwater is seperate and goes into soakaways. However, your local water company will still charge you for the rainwater going into their sewers under the heading "measured drainage" unless you inform them and they survey and confirm it. On my small estate of 200 homes (all soakaways, Severn Trent were making £20 - 30 k plus per year, charging for a service they did not provide. When challenged and confirmed by their surveyor they only have to back date your refund to the previous april. ( I had been paying them since 1997) Ofwat who oversee this were set up to keep the water companies out of court not to help the public. It would be simple to establish whose rainwater goes into main sewers, but they don't want to. £££££££££ !
Any fines these companies receive are just factored into their accounts and charges. More fines simply mean ever higher prices for the consumer. Privatisation of crucial resources should end.
100% we need to have sufficient main infrastructure in place before we put more people there and overloading an all ready loaded system
Over 30 years plus in this business and your know where near the real truth.
No permit, weld it closed!
They been a getting away with it because environmental bosses and mps have been taking back handers and the fines are not high enough, we the people just pay the fines in bill increases each year. To be fair I think it's gone to far and somebody else should be running it if you won't invest in a bigger infrastructure.
Nationalise our water
Each member of the public could give £1000s a year and this situation wouldn't change, top heavy management on far too much money really don't care, this is disgraceful.
Why are the most obvious solutions not being adopted? That being that profits must pay for the fix. The companies should be made to reinvest profits into fixing the infrastructure. That way, they are incentivised to improve. Oh, and lock the criminally accountable individuals up.
Nowadays incompetency and corruption are well paid for.