2 articles
• via the Guardian
Privatised water companies raised £10.5bn in green bonds since 2017, promising environmental gains, while sewage pollution surged and dividends flowed to shareholders. Regulators collect fines but permit ongoing decay.
• via BBC News
Five English water companies have successfully argued for higher bills to cover infrastructure failures they were supposed to maintain. The Competition and Markets Authority approved an additional £556 million in charges, on top of already planned 36% increases over five years. This comes as serious pollution incidents by water firms jumped 60% in a single year, highlighting a troubling pattern of privatized monopolies profiting from public goods while failing to deliver essential services.