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Thursday 8th January 2009 Make us your HOME PAGE  What is RSS?
 
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ARTICLE SUMMARY

'Disgrace' of water firm's £300m profit

FURIOUS flood victims last night attacked the company at the heart of the water crisis after it emerged that the firm is on course for a £300million profit this year.

SEVERN TRENT PROFITS

26.07.07, 8:59pm

As one of the unfortunate residents of Gloucester having been without water since last sunday I feel that Severn Trent should be MADE to give all it's profits to raising the height of the treatment plants AND electricity sub stations ..and also building flood barriers around these instalations. It really is obsene to be making a profit whilst vulnerable people are suffering so much . The elderly and the disabled AREN'T being looked after and being taken bottled water or food . Bowsers are being vandalised, urinated in, or left empty . The elderly and disabled have difficulty bending down to use the bowser taps and actually carrying vessels with water in home. Bottled water distribution points are usually in out of town supermarkets .......if you haven't got a car ,,,,,it's awkward, and to stand for hours in long queue's can be not an option. Asking for extra bottles for neighbours is not an option ....... you get a set amount of bottles per person turning up at the site.

• Posted by: sandra • Report Comment

WATER FIRMS

26.07.07, 6:44pm

\sorry but this is what you get in a totaly free market place, hope all those people are still happy to be in the E.U
It is time to renationaise the utilility by compulsion if that is what it takes

• Posted by: syd • Report Comment

STATUTORY OBLIGATION?

26.07.07, 5:55pm

Now let the discussion go a stage further.
Severn Trent have a statutory obligation to supply water to a given quality and given level of service. These tasks are rewarded by us in the form of Water Charges and Severn Trent Shareholders profit if the cost is less than the charges.
Because Severn Trent could not procure the appropriate tankers and enough HGV1 drivers when their Capital Expenditure programme failed to protect their vital assets they failed to meet their obligations without various public services and armed services involvement. They took a chance in the interests of profit instead of investing to ensure even emergency distribution of drinking water.
WHEN WILL SEVERN TRENT GET A BILL FROM EACH OF THOSE VITAL SERVICES WHICH THEY WERE OBLIGED TO CALL OUT DUE TO THEIR BOARD PAYING DIVIDENDS RATHER THAN PROVIDING FLOOD PROTECTION?
Before we are told that this is an exceptional occurence there have been floods practically every year in the flood plain at Gloucester and global warming is hardly a state secret even if it produces a one in sixty weather pattern this year.
WE ARE BEING CONNED.

• Posted by: JohnY69 • Report Comment

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WATER PROFITS - OBSCENE.

26.07.07, 9:47am

JohnY69 you are dead right, you have said exactly what we all have been concerned about since that evil, vile Thatcher woman gave OUR water to her mates to buy cheap.
Nothing will happen to the water companies as they are too protected by the politicians who have the majority of shares, the biggest bundles.

They are untouchable.

• Posted by: Robertz • Report Comment

RE-ASSURE THE CITY FINANCIERS

26.07.07, 9:29am

Severn Trent have just assured the City that this years profits are safe following the bonanza of last year.
Maggie Thatchers privatisation always did mean that we got the water but they got the cream.
Now, even in this disaster, they still focus on the cream before they worry about the fact that we dont get the water.
Now watch the so called Regulator, paid to balance the public interest against the profit. It is a fair bet that all the Water Companies will demand massive extra capital expenditure and our charges will rise yet again to fund it.

• Posted by: JohnY69 • Report Comment

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