in big cities with high population densities where you can't afford to dump turds in the road they are dealt with.
No, I don't think so. The issue is one of effective regulation. I don't believe the bit about "privatised companies can actually do something about it" . The ineffectual public ownership trope is just as lazy as the one about evil capitalism and shareholder leeches. That there are examples of both does not justify the generalisation. If companies are ineffectual, they generally fold. If they are effectively regulated then they realise that breaking the rules is costly and that fines hammer the bottom line, so they behave.
Plenty of sewage goes straight into the Thames:
https://www.thames21.org.uk/2021/04/thames21-raises-alarm-about-river-sewage-crisis/
In fact so many flushed wet wipes are going into the river they're actually reshaping it in places where they accumulate in vast numbers on the banks:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-58742161
Is this a U turn or just a few meaningless words hiding the facts?
A reduction of discharges over 5 years? from 400,000 per year.
A promise to text us when they're dumping sh*t
mbe an addendum to the BBC weather.
They need to do a time and motion study, obvs.Isn't that the rationale behind the super-sewer development? To be fair, infrastructure on that scale takes time
Sort of like the pollen count, but browner?An addendum to the weather forcast would seem most appropriate, a breakdown of onshore winds by area and related to crap dumping?
The problem is that they are all basically monopolies. How do I change my water/sewage services supplier if I don't like their performance. What incentive do they have, other than dodging fines, and maximising profit?
Isn't that the rationale behind the super-sewer development? To be fair, infrastructure on that scale takes time
Isn't that the rationale behind the super-sewer development? To be fair, infrastructure on that scale takes time
The problem is that they are all basically monopolies. How do I change my water/sewage services supplier if I don't like their performance. What incentive do they have, other than dodging fines, and maximising profit?
That sounds cheap. I pay Southern £320 a year just for sewage - our foul water drains into the canal, so that's with a discount. On top of that, there's £230 a year for water, but at least that's unmetered
One of the issue re effluent from the congregations of large pig farms is the complete lack of planning controls
I've just had a new one installed to bring me up to current regs. There wasn't any change out of £10k. They're called 'sewage treatment plants' now, but its very good, it discharges what appears to be inoffensive water. The old septic tank was a bloody nuisance, as the soak-away tended to block. When it overflowed from the manhole the horses used to love drinking it. About once a year I would put a pump on the tractor and spray it all over the field. It was best not to be downwind for a few days, but the grass would grow beautifully.
I suppose they have to be. Look at the current mess in the energy industry with a bunch of ‘suppliers’ who are nothing more than hedgers and billing machines. In fairness, I think Welsh Water are pretty good and a bargain. I pay about £200 a year, unmetered and always very quick to fix problems. In contrast, the bill at my (much smaller) place in Cornwall with a fraction of the use is multiple times that.