Letter: The shameful state of our water quality

SIR – It is widely accepted that the water quality of our rivers and coastal waters have deteriorated to a level that a civilised country should be ashamed of.

The private water companies sell a vital service that no one can do without, and which does make large profits for shareholders from all over the world.

Despite this, the companies are repeatedly pouring raw sewage and chemicals into all our rivers and the sea. The companies do this because in most cases it is legal to do so.

Why are the lawmakers so reluctant to act on such a prominent issue?

I was disappointed at the number of Conservative MPs that voted to weaken legislation which would have made a start in cleaning up our waters. This is despite the regular pollution of our New Forest streams.

Let us hope that pressure from the public will push the government into making a genuine U-turn.

We know to improve our sewage system is going to be very costly, but it is pointless building thousands more new houses without proper infrastructure to deal with the extra waste generated from increasing development.

Peter Frost,
Totton