Water companies under fire from MP

The MP for Taunton and Wellington, Gideon Amos, has slammed privatised water companies after Wessex Water asked the water regulator for permission to charge customers even more for failing services.
Wessex Water is one of six firms asking the water regulator to allow them to dish out higher bills for their customers.
It means there could be even more expensive water bills for people across Somerset.
Customers of Wessex Water are already set to see bills rise by £113 this April, an increase of 20%.  
Liberal Democrats across the country are campaigning to protect customers from failing water companies.
Mr Amos said: “I recognise that Wessex Water is one of the better run water companies but those which have got into debt to the tune of billions, while all the time rewarding themselves with massive bonuses and dividends, need a complete change of ownership.
“In my view, water should never have been sold off to private profiteering hands in the first place.
“We now want to see them turned into public interest companies with duties to invest in cleaning up our waterways instead of sending cash into their own pockets.  
“I'm determined that, in Taunton, we get the investment we need to improve water quality in the Tone. The levels of disgusting pollution being pumped into it needs to end, and end now.
“Having recently got a new Environment Agency working group set up for the Tone, I'm optimistic we can get improvements.
“But for the industry as a whole, it's time the Government replaced the falling Ofwat with a regulator that will stop irresponsible debts being passed on to customers already trying to cope with a cost of living crisis.”