In an Op Ed on Liberal Democrat Voice on 20th December (http://www.libdemvoice.org/opinion-time-for-water-reform-22431.html) I had a bit of a go about the privatised water industry and its shortcomings, particularly in terms of effective regulation.
This was a very much condensed version of a draft that itself was a very much condensed version of a 22,000 word dissertation that got me my LLM Distinction.
One might sum it up by saying that it is an industry that in some ways is over regulated, where the regulation is arguably ineffective, and where we have had a 42% increase in costs to us as consumers since privatisation in real terms, i.e. net of inflation, and yet this industry sees 25% leakage as being its economic rate of leakage.
In today's news, Northern Ireland is up the proverbial gum tree because of water main bursts, and they're even running out of bottled supplies.
A good example, if somewhat trying for our friends over the water, of why it is vital that this industry and its regulation is overhauled, with more incentive for investment in innovation and significant reductions in overall levels of leakage.
Not that I'm saying "I told you so", but....
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