I am an avid swimmer. And occasionally, when the weather permits, like many people up and down the country, I enjoy wild swimming.
Which is why it angers me since 2020, almost 24 million hours of sewage have been discharged into UK waterways, lakes, streams, and other bodies of water. Meanwhile, privately owned water companies have paid out billions in dividends to shareholders and have accumulated almost £70 billion in debt. Numbers like this horrify me. The simultaneous degradation of our environment and the erosion of our public services for the sake of stuffing the pockets of private executives is unacceptable.
That is why I have signed WeOwnIt’s open letter to the interim CEO of Ofwat and the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Emma Reynolds. The letter urges Ofwat to reject the proposed deal put forward by the Thames Water Creditors and to put Thames Water into Special Administrative. Under the proposed deal, the fines which Thames Water would pay would be waived until 2030 and their pollution targets modified.
Special Administration is a way we can safeguard our water services, and prevent further damage to our seas, rivers, and fragile chalk streams.
Water is a public good, not a means for reaping exorbitant profits: it’s time we act in the interest of the public.