Calls for the renationalisation of the UK's water industry are intensifying amid a severe waterborne disease outbreak in Devon, particularly affecting Brixham. The outbreak, caused by the parasite cryptosporidium, has led to hundreds falling ill, with schools closing and residents advised to boil tap water. Sixteen cases have been confirmed by the UK Health Security Agency. Critics argue that the privatisation of water services has led to inadequate infrastructure and poor management, contributing to the current crisis. Thames Water, a major private water company, faces additional scrutiny as its shareholders are poised to quit, refusing to inject necessary funds to address its £16 billion debt. Susan Davy, CEO of South West Water, has been criticized for her high earnings amid the crisis. MPs and environmentalists are urging the government to bring water services back into public ownership, citing the failure of the privatised model to ensure public health and environmental safety. The industry has paid out £2 billion annually in dividends while failing to maintain safe water standards.
Since privatisation, the 16 water monopolies have paid out a total of £78,000,000,000 in dividends. Meanwhile, we're swimming in and drinking our own excrement. It's existential: water must be brought into public ownership. https://t.co/PQ7mihA0la
Revealed: Reservoir 'at heart of' Devon crisis that's left 40,000 homes with undrinkable water - as MP claims 'animal waste' may have got into damaged air valve as residents join mile-long queues for bottled drinks https://t.co/5Snx8bbrBH https://t.co/TvoHyOGnxb
The £4m fat cat water boss giving you diarrhoea: As her customers fall ill, how South West Water CEO Susan Davy has pocketed millions while her firm pollutes beaches and rivers (but don't worry, her Devon home isn't affected by contaminated water) https://t.co/7zSnAQYGpP https://t.co/YKStDu58MU
🚨 🇬🇧BREAKING: WATERBORNE DISEASE OUTBREAK IN UK A damaged air valve may have allowed animal waste or contaminated groundwater into the local water supply, causing a disease outbreak in Devon, South West England. The intestinal parasite has made at least 22 people sick; 16,000… https://t.co/QtgWxmCISx
Those responsible for the mess at Thames Water are fleeing the scene, after running it into the ground while handing out billions to shareholders. Tell the Government: No reward for mismanagement. No bills rises. Bring water into public ownership. ✍🏾 https://t.co/3JAvf9w7yK https://t.co/Yjrg5n3qu2
Cryptosporidium latest: A primary school in Brixham has closed as it said running a school without drinking water was "not possible". https://t.co/y4155GVPBZ
School closed amid outbreak of parasitic disease in south Devon https://t.co/zlkxTnprRC
Cryptosporidium outbreak: Symptoms to spot as parasitic disease shuts down school and leaves town bedbound https://t.co/JUnt5ICZBU
Water firm increases compensation by £100 as Devon parasite crisis continues - as shoppers begin panic buying https://t.co/lKFHhuWYvM
'South West water has increased the amount of compensation that they're offering.' Jeff Moody says people are 'boiling with rage' after residents in Devon have been told not to drink tap water due to contamination. https://t.co/UaxjnZY4Qr
What is cryptosporidium? The diarrhoea-causing parasite found in Devon drinking water ⬇️ https://t.co/vDPDcy4FYR
'That number [22] is clearly going to be much higher, anecdotally the GPs are seeing an increased number of calls' Sky's @danwnews is live in Devon where cases of a waterborne disease have been detected with residents told to boil their drinking water https://t.co/PAiZ4D1jU3 https://t.co/F6CFu3jgOA
'Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink...' '...and what an awful stink!' Caller Mark, who works in the water filtration business, tells @mrjamesob he would 'renationalise' the industry based off the current situation in the UK. https://t.co/FZXPlnGK9R
'The people we have entrusted have betrayed us on an unimaginable level, whilst also trousering £2 billion pounds a year of our money.' 'There's nothing more integral to our survival than water, why aren't we angrier?' asks @mrjamesob, reacting to the current state of UK water. https://t.co/GOcfw5upPK
💧School closed after parasite outbreak in drinking water https://t.co/kkrceiX0p1
Don’t jump in, the water’s filthy As the water industry tries to defend the indefensible, campaigners warn 'somebody is going to die' because of high water pathogen levels 🔎 Analysis by @luciemheath https://t.co/inSjxAfqPz
The outbreak of a waterborne disease in Devon could last at least a week, an expert has told Sky News ⬇️ Read more https://t.co/lNUuEgz00K
What is cryptosporidium, the parasite that's given people in Devon 'the worst illness ever'? https://t.co/g51tx63a8c
'The people we have entrusted have betrayed us on an imaginable level, whilst also trousering £2 billion pounds a year of our money.' 'There's nothing more integral to our survival than water, why aren't we angrier?' asks @mrjamesob, reacting to the current state of UK water. https://t.co/D9aCOGPBxL
A senior official at the biggest shareholder of Thames Water steps down from the board of the struggling company, raising questions about how much longer it can hang on without government help https://t.co/Sefvls7Fmg
Brixham. A beautiful place with a worrying water problem. Hundreds, potentially thousands, say they’re now sick after drinking from the local supply. @GMB https://t.co/dBpc97L53x
'They say 70 people have been affected, but we are hearing it's an awful lot more.' GB News' Jeff Moody reports from Brixham, where a number of people have been left in agony after drinking contaminated water. https://t.co/w0g67idq7K
'They say 70 people have been affected, but we are hearing it's an awful lot more.' GB News' Jeff Moody reports from Brixham, where a number of people have been left in agony after drinking contimated water. https://t.co/zVuYoSCy9E
Thames Water shareholders are poised to quit as directors of its corporate entities. After extracting billions they are refusing to inject money, want 56% price hike, govt money, no curbs on dividends. Let it go bust. No govt bailout. Nationalise water. https://t.co/TUklnAalhO
The New Statesmen: The Great Stink #TomorrowsPapersToday https://t.co/68IrxgC6tB
The government, however, can’t afford to call Thames Water’s bluff; the company's £16bn debt is more than the ‘headroom’ of about £13bn allowed by the fiscal rules to which Jeremy Hunt and Rachel Reeves are both committed. 🖊️ @willydunn https://t.co/gJjHUGygVz
Hundreds are struck down with parasite after a suspected outbreak of cryptosporidium https://t.co/JwFSaJzZde https://t.co/NMUyUU9Vkp
'It's the worst illness I've ever had': Hundreds are struck down with parasite as bosses warn customers not to drink, cook or clean teeth with unboiled tap water - after firm first insisted water was safe https://t.co/rSIdcnBinP https://t.co/repGRfVEY3
“It’s not that the UK’s debt-to-GDP doesn’t go up. It’s just that it happens on private sector balance sheets, in a more expensive fashion”. @DantonsHead spoke to @willydunn for @NewStatesman's cover story on the disaster of England's water privatisation. https://t.co/9GRYETZLND
Decades of privatised water have left us swimming in and drinking our own excrement. After news today of parasites in Devon's drinking supply, I asked the CEO of Ofwat if he really thinks the model of privatised water can ensure our safety. https://t.co/ixVCGkx7dt
🤑Shareholders at privatised Thames Water have run the service into the ground. Now they're fleeing the sinking ship and looking to the public to bail it out. Enough of the "investor protection" nonsense. We need permanent public ownership now. https://t.co/7vaTepJh4P
Privatisation is destroying our rivers. Renationalise water and sewage services now
Representatives of Thames Water's multinational syndicate of shareholders are poised to quit as directors of its corporate entities after refusing to inject the billions of pounds of funding required to bail it out. 🔗 Read more https://t.co/cdutOQgPQx
What a roaring success the privatisation of water has been. One of the richest countries in the world and we can't swim in our water or even drink it without getting sick? This can't go on. What will it take for this Government to act? https://t.co/x8Eq7g7pYI
Enough is enough. Water is our most precious resource. We cannot allow it to be owned and managed by private companies any longer. https://t.co/lVA5zCCPVu
Water industry should be brought into public ownership, says MP Clive Lewis https://t.co/f0PFLaJGoW
Clive Lewis MP @labourlewis member of the Environmental Audit Committee @CommonsEAC is calling for government to put the shambolic mess that is the water industry back into public ownership. You heard the man, Twitter do you thing. 👇 https://t.co/69NXylmRr2
How privatisation and the pursuit of profit lead to the devastation of England’s waterways. 🖊️ @willydunn in this week’s cover: The Great Stink https://t.co/hKGHTEdp2i
The stats on Britain's polluted rivers are grim but the physical reality of what privatisation has done to our waterways is something else. For this week's @NewStatesman I spoke to people around the UK about the politics of the new Great Stink https://t.co/7XRdxuyias
If this was a restaurant it’d be shut-down and the owner heavily fined. Why should privatised water be treated any differently? Sixteen cases cryptosporidium, have been confirmed in Devon by the UK Health Security Agency. https://t.co/tQvCUTqrHr
Our privatised water system cannot build the infrastructure we need to adapt to climate change. I asked a panel of experts at today's @CommonsEAC session why our broken models of land and water ownership are rarely considered. Their silence was staggering. https://t.co/nN34rakbF9
Privatised Water has no place in modern Britain. Please sign this letter calling upon the government to bring Thames Water into public ownership. https://t.co/Ek6YavRFDo