Pull the chain on water fail fatcats

■ THERE can be no doubt Britain has reached crisis point regarding the ongoing pollution of our rivers and coastal areas by unscrupulous water companies.

They have only been interested in ripping off the British public for decades by charging extortionate prices to fund their shareholders and highly paid executives, instead of investing in infrastructure.

Now they are insisting we must pay for their extravagance. What a cheek! We are faced with many more years of pollution before the situation can be normalised, while the fatcats become fatter.

The 50 million dollar question: why oh why has it taken this long to realise the country is at crisis point? Clearly it is due to incompetence at high levels.

Sadly, we have become a nation surrounded by filth. It’s dangerous to swim in our rivers and seas and the risk of disease is frightening.

It is notable England and Wales became the only countries in the world to have a fully privatised water and sewage disposal system.

Time to pull the chain on failed water companies?

Bill Cook, Teignmouth, Devon

■ When is a leader of a political party going to grow a pair and call out the water companies over the pollution? These companies have made vast profits without investing back into the infrastructure. It’s an absolute disgrace they are now calling for the bill payers to pay more. They should be taken back into public ownership without compensation – the leader who promises this will gain my vote and many more at the election.

Peter Rochford South Shields, Tyne and Wear

■ The reason we are getting more sewerage spills is not down to excessive rain but to the Government that sold off this utility before ensuring improvements to infrastructure were put before inflated management wages. This also applies to other utilities sold to privatisation.

Kenneth Rheeston South Yardley, Birmingham

■ The Government should step in and suspend dividend payouts by water companies instead of them increasing charges.

They’ve been making huge profits for years on the pretext of improving the system, but in reality nothing has changed except the profits they’ve made.

R Tandy, Liverpool

■ We used to be the poor man of Europe, now we’re the dirtiest. How have water companies been allowed to pollute our coasts, lakes and some of the most pristine rivers in the world? They’ve raised our bills year after year, just like the railways and underfunded vital infrastructure, while gifting billions, mainly to foreign investors who couldn’t believe their luck when Thatcher sold off the country’s assets.

A prime example of private sector failure of our public services which is costing us dearly in wealth and health.

John Sedgwick, Tamworth, Staffs

■ Rivers overflowing with sewage, the NHS at breaking point, and a country in recession. There is no plan by the Government and they are making it up as they go, throwing money around like confetti trying to buy the election.

John Newman Ashington, Northumberland

■ The sewage and pollution problem has got way out of hand now and there doesn’t seem to be a quick solution to this.

Oh wait. Yes there is.

Vote Labour at the next election. That is the only way we can get our rivers back to the condition they should be.

Derek Johnson, Cirencester