Water privatization in England & Wales: past reasons, present problems & future prospects

The ten Water and Sewerage Companies covering England and Wales were privatized in 1989, primarily due to the financial pressures they faced from historic underinvestment and the need to comply with EU environmental-related legislation. In the first decade, this worked well as inland and bathing water improved. More recently, environmental progress has been seen under a harsher light due to a number of factors, many of which reflect poorly on the way these companies are managed and regulated. A number of potential responses are put forward.