Bonus anger for Scottish Water bosses

Bosses at Scottish Water have come under fire after it emerged they were handed huge bonuses last year.

Five directors at the publicly-owned utility company were branded “fat cats” over the pay-outs, and the Scottish Government was warned to “get a grip” on executive pay after it emerged that chief executive Richard Ackroyd was given a bonus of £105,000 last year – taking his salary to £380,000.

Four other executives were given bonuses of between £62,000 and £69,000.

The firm said in its 2011/12 annual report that it had improved water quality to record levels, reduced leaking by 44 per cent in that period and charged the lowest household water rates in the country.

Tory MSP Murdo Fraser, the convener of Holyrood’s economy committee, called for a block on “fat cat bonuses”.

“Workers across the public sector will be astonished.”