The UK's privatised water utilities faced renewed public criticism this month as the perilous state of their water supply infrastructure was exposed by a hot and dry summer. By the time GWI went to press, six water companies had announced hosepipe bans as reservoirs and rivers run low. Combine this with the ongoing scandal of sewage spills into rivers, inflated corporate salaries (see survey p6), and the historical dividends paid out to shareholders since privatisation, and you inspire artwork such as the mural below, which popped up earlier this month near the GWI office in Oxford. It is not entirely fair on the CEO of Thames Water. As our pay survey shows, Sarah Bentley is paid quite modestly in comparison to her peers, despite running the largest and arguably most challenging UK water and sewerage company. She is also unlikely to wearThames Water underpants with the panache of the cigar-smoking fat cat depicted below.
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