Member

I thank the noble Lord, Lord Sikka, for signing Amendment 99. Water companies have a job to do and, if they fail to do it, we should put them into special administration. That is simple logic that is hard to disagree with. If people across the country are in hospital because rivers and beaches are contaminated by E. coli, that is failure. If fish and wildlife—whole ecosystems—die due to regular sewage dumping, that is failure. If dumping regularly damages tourism in a national park or on a pleasure beach, that is failure. These water company bosses need to know that, if they continue as they have been, that will end with special administration without compensation or with the companies being brought into public ownership. The water companies must either clean up their act or hand over control to somebody who will.