Shame of water, water everywhere

Published on Saturday 9 February 2008 18:03

IN rain-soaked Scotland, the loss of water from our pipe network may not seem the most pressing problem on the political scene. Certainly, it appears that this has been the attitude of the country's water chiefs over recent years.

But when a staggering one billion litres of water with a value of 190,000 is pouring out of our pipe network every single day, thereby ensuring that double the amount of water that we actually need is treated and pumped around the country (and thereby adding greatly to our carbon footprint), clearly the time has come for action.

Scotland's record in this regard is the worst in the UK. This is partly a consequence of the dilapidated condition in which Scotland's water network has been allowed to fall. Here the blame cannot be laid at water chiefs but at decades of neglect which have now left the system in a sorry state.

But is it not also the result of the overly cosy system in Scotland which, alone in the UK, continues to operate a publicly owned water network?

In England, the watchdog Ofwat has the teeth to impose punishing fines on water companies. This has led to some water companies cutting the amount of leaks to half that of Scottish levels. In Scotland, however, there are no such sticks – and consequently, it appears, there is no similar urgency to change.

A tougher regime must be introduced now. If Scottish Water cannot smarten up its act then perhaps a dose of private medicine would do the trick.