Sweage Releases Into Rivers

[Psamathe]

Useful report where you enter your postcode and it tells you local rivers suffering sewage releases and trhe number of releases from which sites for 2023 and 2022.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -worst-hit

Ian

[Biospace]

Yes, I bookmarked it earlier - a very useful, revealing tool and so depressing. Big business is acting as it wishes, beyond the control of Government.

[Psamathe]

... Big business is acting as it wishes, beyond the control of Government.

Thames Water is getting interesting given their dividend payments, debt and not investors demanding a massive bill increase, in effect customers paying for their failings and dividends. Even where we are now (40% bill increase demand) is going to stir up a lot of ill-feeling through their region even though OFWAT has refused the increase. If it were my decision I'd be fining them for every illegal sewage release until they go bust, let the Gov. buy the company for £1 and keep it under public ownership. I'd be doing that for every water company. None of this "temporary nationalisation" the Gov. are mentioning as a possibility.

Feargal Sharkey was very good in his TV appearances yesterday - knew his stuff (facts), presented them in a clear balanced concise manner, allowed the "other party" to have their say un-interrupted and then countered it with clear, simple fact.

I feel like writing to the water company covering my area asking for the money I paid for sewage disposal to be refunded as they have not been doing what I've been paying them for. Every moderate rain and people have sewage in their gardens (not mine). Been happening since I've lived here (15+ years) and water company never investigates as tiny village into ditches into small river so no monitoring guages.

Ian

[Bonefishblues]

... Big business is acting as it wishes, beyond the control of Government.

Thames Water is getting interesting given their dividend payments, debt and not investors demanding a massive bill increase, in effect customers paying for their failings and dividends. Even where we are now (40% bill increase demand) is going to stir up a lot of ill-feeling through their region even though OFWAT has refused the increase. If it were my decision I'd be fining them for every illegal sewage release until they go bust, let the Gov. buy the company for £1 and keep it under public ownership. I'd be doing that for every water company. None of this "temporary nationalisation" the Gov. are mentioning as a possibility.

Feargal Sharkey was very good in his TV appearances yesterday - knew his stuff (facts), presented them in a clear balanced concise manner, allowed the "other party" to have their say un-interrupted and then countered it with clear, simple fact.

I feel like writing to the water company covering my area asking for the money I paid for sewage disposal to be refunded as they have not been doing what I've been paying them for. Every moderate rain and people have sewage in their gardens (not mine). Been happening since I've lived here (15+ years) and water company never investigates as tiny village into ditches into small river so no monitoring guages.

Ian

Feargal has been crusading on this for years, as have I in my own very small way. OFWAT has failed in its Statutory Duty - that's the bare fact. As to why, then that gets murkier, like most outfalls from STWs

[mattheus]

https://edition.cnn.com/2024/03/28/spor ... xamination.

[ANTONISH]

Wind and rain - could be a rerun of 1951 which I was privileged to watch on TV.
It's a sad state of affairs - although the lower Thames was pretty well dead at the time there was a massive improvement until someone came up with the bright idea that privatisation would solve all ills.

[Jdsk]

Thames Water is getting interesting given their dividend payments, debt and not investors demanding a massive bill increase, in effect customers paying for their failings and dividends. Even where we are now (40% bill increase demand) is going to stir up a lot of ill-feeling through their region even though OFWAT has refused the increase. If it were my decision I'd be fining them for every illegal sewage release until they go bust, let the Gov. buy the company for £1 and keep it under public ownership. I'd be doing that for every water company. None of this "temporary nationalisation" the Gov. are mentioning as a possibility.
...

"Whitehall blueprint for Thames Water nationalisation could see state take on bulk of £15bn debt":
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -15bn-debt

Jonathan

[Psamathe]

Thames Water is getting interesting given their dividend payments, debt and not investors demanding a massive bill increase, in effect customers paying for their failings and dividends. Even where we are now (40% bill increase demand) is going to stir up a lot of ill-feeling through their region even though OFWAT has refused the increase. If it were my decision I'd be fining them for every illegal sewage release until they go bust, let the Gov. buy the company for £1 and keep it under public ownership. I'd be doing that for every water company. None of this "temporary nationalisation" the Gov. are mentioning as a possibility.
...

"Whitehall blueprint for Thames Water nationalisation could see state take on bulk of £15bn debt":
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... -15bn-debt

Jonathan

If it were my decision I'd be fining them max. for every illegal pollution release, wait for them to go bust and buy whats left from the administrator for 15p.

Why should taxpayer take on the burden of poor lending decisions by investors and poor management of the company. Lenders, shareholders, management are responsible for the disaster not the taxpayer so how can Whitehall justify taxpayers bearing the burden of the debt?

Ian