Dirty Business- The Water Companies are profiteering lying bastards

It's even more shocking than I imagined. I remember swimming as a child in the sea at Frinton in the 1970s and being very ill for weeks afterwards and nearly hospitalised. It's been going on for years.

We are near Lake Windermere and are horrified at the pollution. A major tourist hot spot giving an income to the local economy, in a well known and much loved National Park. They have no shame and the privatisation of essential services has damaged this country beyond repair. In addition I feel this attitude has filtered down in that in so many companies, shareholders are the customer and we are just an annoying adjunct. Investors will make money from anything and everything and do not care of the damage they do and yet ..... anyone who has a pension plan and investments is culpable too.

Of course it is. This is the number one reason why ‘Britain has no money’ in my book. Of course Britain has money: for any northerners from poor backgrounds you need to go take a walk round a rich region because it is a total lie.

Add SEND to your list, special schools are mainly private now. Extortionate Fees get paid by the council direct to a special schools, a fraction of which goes to the underpaid staff and minimal facilities, the rest gets siphoned off. Ditto transport.

Wherever private companies are involved they are doing so for profit. I believe by law private companies HAVE to make profit. We pay for that profit.

There is also the current problem of taxpayers having to pay for the energy costs of businesses as well, I remember a campaign against that a couple of years ago but it went quiet. That usually means someone’s been paid off to keep the people quiet. Our media is fucked too.

Information and communications is usually a good place to start spreading lies, that’s why it was targeted back in the 80s.

Agree @Ihatetomatoes .

I remember the privatisation campaigns back then… everyone being urged to buy shares in British Gas etc. (the ‘tell Sid’ campaign). Sold as being ‘for the people’ - as was selling off housing stock. Short term individual gain. Smoke and mirrors.

From what I can see, the private sector is fleecing the tax payers and customers. Money is not reinvested but shared out among investors.

And it’s not just water… it’s also care homes and children’s homes. NHS. Often foreign investors. I don’t know if we can ever make this right again.

www.theguardian.com/society/2025/nov/12/private-care-providers-in-three-english-regions-make-250m-in-three-years

I think we're all going to need to pay more tax if we want to keep state pensions and free healthcare! It's all going to get much worse as the ratio of pensioners to workers increases!

But still good if people sign the petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/757426

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/ask-your-mp-to-meet-with-dirty-business-activists?source=facebook&fbclid=IwdGRjcAQk0P1leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEewMqr0lVDSbtF0Weq60k3wwq2P7OZTkkXV-Tus1LVhh3b_Xck140EPqKJwA8_aem_VICXnxvtHaQ7F10YvufQ4g

I’ve written to my MP.

Surfers Against Sewage petition here https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/end-the-profit-driven-sewage-pollution-scandal-1?partner=surfers-against-sewage&source=rawlink&utm_medium=socialshare&utm_source=rawlink&share=c48b98b3-7eec-462a-ab07-02137225febf&fbclid=Iwb21leAQjcK5jbGNrBCNwqmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDDM1MDY4NTUzMTcyOAABHqMkE4wgw7mEMQBoekXkBeur30r3xW3Z6qdukfEB4R-VUgC4KSrZnwZ7Jz5M_aem_DxUNPUwtCWq-wIB6EM-oxw

Bumping.

Petition is here https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/757426

Oooh - it’s over 20,000 now! Keep sharing!

They could afford it if the royals and Amazon paid taxes @Theolittle

Ugh 😣

I have signed.

Something needs to change.

i can’t see that the govt can afford to nationalise but it would be good to let govt know how important it is and get them to discuss it

Almost at 20,000 now….

Bumping….

Petition now at 14,380. Would love to get this to 100,000…

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/757426

On a local level Thames Water have been discharging raw sewerage into the River Roding (London 3rd largest river) almost non stop since last year. The water quality is horrific. Even this week it’s still happening.

Wish I could join you.

Looking out for anything happening local to me.

Are you anywhere near the Kent coast?

https://whitstableviews.com/2026/02/26/join-julie-wassmer-in-historic-legal-showdown/

I'll be here on 19th March, along with my family, supporting Julie.
Just to be clear, Julie makes it clear that she is big enough, and 'rich' enough to do this, she does not advocate that anyone else stops paying their water bill, because SE Water can, and do, (obviously) prosecute.
But that doesn't stop people supporting her.
There's also a fair few locals now wondering if we should do the same....they can't prosecute us all.
It needs a really big name to start pushing this, I see Hugh Grant (retweeted by Channel Four) has waded in.

Omg I have just watched it. I will never swim in the UK again 🤮🤢 Even more infuriating and criminal than the water companies is the so called Environmental Agency!

Hello I finished episode 3 of this last night. I had followed the press about water companies’ sewage dumping but not in any great depth. I watched this with my jaw just wide open; it is indeed a national
scandal.

I thought the actors’ naturalistic style of performance really did the various story threads justice - it was so
real. Any actors on the thread who know how that’s achieved?

Same here, I feel really foolish for not knowing about any of this. I would definitely go to a protest and take my kids too.

Just starting watching this, horrified, furious, so depressing! Hoping it will gain more traction, it is time to bring water back under public ownership as a matter of urgency! We must do better by our people and our wildlife.