THE bosses of the water companies are said to have sat glum-faced as the Deputy Prime Minister, John Prescott, in effect read them the Riot Act over water going to waste.
No doubt they were stunned.
For Mr Prescott left them in no doubt over where their prime duty lies - to their customers, not their shareholders.
Quite right too - that is something these firms lost sight of a long time ago.
For, surely, it is a huge scandal that millions of gallons - a third of all supplies in our region - are allowed to be lost through leaky pipes and, yet, huge chunks of the companies' vast profits are poured into the shareholders' pockets rather than a vital repairs blitz.
Now, the firms have been told that they must mend the leaks much more quickly or risk being put out of business.
They have invited this response and have long had it coming.
And, for the sake of their customers - and the environment - Mr Prescott should keep breathing down their necks so that they never again forget that it is a public service they are running.
Previous news story
Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article