I couldn't agree more. The experience of the water companies of regulation is like being assaulted by dead sheep!

It is a diabolical and utterly cynical betrayal of the British people that the Conservative Govt sells out the Public to line the pockets of the totally greedy, morally bankrupt Tory cronies.

There IS NO DEMOCRACY, its a corrupt club for wealthy parasites. Taking money and delivering NOTHING.

WE OWN IT.....GAME OVER, get over it, and GET OUT.

OUR WATER AND WE OWN IT

The water companies have been ripping us off for 29 years. Bring them back into public ownership. The claims for compensation to shareholders should be reviewed - see video.

Renationalisation must be without any compensation. Shareholders have taken billions out of the industry.

No amount of argument can explain why a public water supply should be in private hands. The private economic model does not lend its self to a basic utility. If, after 30 years, the shareholders are still failing then only one thing can be said...., "If you can't piss, get off the pot". Simples.

We're simply returning stolen property to the public. Paying out compensation would only encourage future Tory governments to reprivatise. Owners and shareholders of privatised utilities should not get one penny of compensation when they are returned to public ownership.

When it took 11 tonnes of publicly owned water to make a tonne of publicly owned steel or when millions of gallons of water were needed by publicly owned energy generators to make our electricity, then it was okay for us plebs to part-support large publicly owned British industries (who also paid), with our private water rates payments. Then as time saw the destruction of similar heavy water using industries the end user was less publicly owned industry, with us subsidising it, and more individuals, …. just us..... Far easier to rip off just us..... Far easier to justify pay packages and bonuses when entire heavy industries and their various government ministers and water companies no longer need to kick off at price hikes and inefficiencies.

Wikipedia says it:

England and Wales were the only countries in the world that have a fully privatised water and sewage disposal system.[6][2] In Scotland and Northern Ireland, water and sewerage services remained in public ownership. Since 2001, Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, the company which supplies drinking water and wastewater services to most of Wales and parts of western England, has operated as a single purpose, not-for-profit company with no shareholders, "run solely for the benefit of customers".[7] According to The Independent, the English WSCs are now mostly owned "by private equity firms with controversial tax avoidance strategies."[8] Public opinion polling carried out in 2017 indicated that 83% of the British public favoured renationalisation of water services.[9] In the same year, research by the University of Greenwich suggested that consumers in England were paying £2.3 billion more for their water and sewerage bills per annum than they would if the water companies had remained in state ownership.[2]

One reason for privatisation was to pump money into renewing all the old pipework and sewerage system - that was the promise, but of course it didn’t happen. And it’s not going to happen, because the poor shareholders can’t afford it. Meanwhile, the old pipes are cracking up, the leakage is enormous, and our bills go up.

Water is a basic right, and should not be treated as a commodity- we have to take back control and tackle the mess we are being left with- the sooner the better.

Water is a necessity for life. Clean water is something we should all be able to afford regardless of income.We are not a third world country. Water is getting very expensive and in our area is rather gritty,and very chlorine tasting. There are leaks quite often which lose gallons.No one, no company, should own other people's basic life support. This is a national issue.If anyone doubts how much of a risk we face, read Fontamara.

We pay a substantial amount for our water now and it tastes disgusting we have to use a water filter to make it drinkable.

People have been brainwashed in to buying bottled water and polluting the planet with millions of empty single use plastic bottles.

Its time to take back our water and make tap water drinkable again.

Quite right. Water, utilities, transport, communication have been exploiting the public outrageously for far too long.

I would say "Take back control" but that phrase has been hijacked for other purposes.

Water services should be remunisiplised (if that isn’t a word it should be) . Water is is as important as air for the preservation of all life forms and it should be freely available without unit cost direct to users for all essential purposes via a rate based on average use on a not for profit basis. The appalling profiteering of the privatised water companies, the lack of investment in preventing waste through leakage, on bringing new water supplies online and the huge unjustifiable annual price increases must be seen as one of the crimes of the 20th century and the perpetrators should be brought to justice. Take a look at the water services provided to the people of Northern Ireland

Great, informative and succinct video and glad you addressed the issue of pensions.

Yet another service paid for over decades of taxpayer toil, sold off cheaply to mates in ties, and yet we are the only country to have privatised our water.

Given that increasing numbers of people are in water poverty, defined as paying more than 3% for water services, it makes me wonder how we allowed water to be signed away.

Rain is free when it falls - but several Ps: phosphates, piddle, poo and prozac are not...

Of course water should be publicly owned. Rain may be free but dams, pipelines etc are expensive to build and maintain. Today local authorities are being bankrupted as a matter of government policy, so it may not be so easy to see that councils and nationalised industries do not need to be so hard pressed. This is a political choice, not a financial requirement. Decades ago local authorities built dams and supplied water themselves, no doubt with government assistance. Sheffield has many reservoirs on the moors that in the 1960's had notices up saying SCWW for Sheffield Corporation Water Works. Manchester Corporation Water Works built Thirlmere and Haweswater reservoirs in the Lake District and Longdendale reservoirs in the Peak District. Birmingham built the Elan Valley reservoirs in Wales. Liverpool built Lake Vyrnwy. Government, both local and national can finance big projects by various means, issuing bonds or taking out long term loans at low interest rates. I believe council housing used to be financed over 60 years at something like 5% pa. The New Towns were done similarly, which incidentally made a sound financial investment. They were still making a profit when the Conservative government scrapped them in the 1980's. Why scrap a success story? Because they could let voters believe that public enterprise works. In contrast today's private bankers are looking for short term return (20 years sometimes) at rates of 15-20%. If they only receive 10% or less they may pull out. The financial system needs an overhaul based on more enlightened economic thinking than get-rich-quick. All this can be done with a better approach. It will take some time though. I agree that today's nationalisation might have to be looked at afresh to avoid previous inefficiencies.

Water, electricity, gas and the railway are national assets - for the many, not the few.

Having just returned from Norway I was able to talk briefly with a Norwegian Guide about their economy much of which, including water, railways and health are under state control. Previously their government was able to invest wisely and now I'm told have 'trillions of dollars' of which I understand they are investing 4% annually in infrastructure, education and health services etc. Contrast this with the great Tory sale of British assets for short term and often foreign profit regardless of the long term consequences.

Of course things are not perfect in Norway but their socially responsible capitalism is a standing rebuke to our politicians on the right who can't bear to see state ownership that works and who given the chance will continue with more of the same. I suggest 'We Own It' makes more of the Norwegian example and invests in some in depth research so that the public can be informed that there is a much better way of doing things.