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Andy Burnham has used his first parliamentary address to attack the water industry, which he called a “leaking monument to … a country run in the private rather than the public interest”. It’s refreshing to hear such a clear indictment of water privatisation. Now the question is whether the prime minister can deliver on his words. The truth is he can’t afford not to.
At the start of August the Environment Agency published official data which found all bodies of water in England were polluted with toxic chemicals. Only 15% of rivers and less than 7% of lakes were classed as being in good environmental condition. The water we drink, cook with and bathe in is polluted – filled with toxic chemicals, microplastics and sewage. In another country it might have been headline news. But we’re so used to hearing about the terrible state of water in England and Wales that most of us barely batted an eyelid.
If you’re not familiar with the story you might struggle to believe it.