It's our water

I fervently hope that Peter Jones's wish for Scottish water to be privatised (Comment, 4 August) never comes true.

Scots already pay the highest petrol prices in Europe despite having the continent's largest oil reserves within our national boundaries, so it would be doubly ironic if we had to pay through the nose simply to run a bath, given that we live in such a wet climate.

Water is set to become a priceless resource over the next few years due to global warming, so it is imperative that it does not pass into the hands of the business class. Indeed, I wonder how long it will be before some of your Unionist commentators begin to warn us that the price of water is just too "'volatile"' for it to be left to us to run for ourselves?

GAVIN FLEMING

Grassmarket

Edinburgh

Peter Jones writes that Scottish Water should be sold off. This may be sound sensible in the short term but not when we gain independence.

This massive natural resource will be increasingly valuable as Europe becomes drier and instead of having water owned by international finance, and the profits going furth of Scotland, we will still own it. The slogan of the future is "It's Scotland's Water".

IAIN WD FORDE

Causewayend Main Street

Scotlandwell,Kinross-shire