WE HAVE seen the advertisements saying what wonders have been wrought plugging the leaking water pipes.

And, lo, now the hose-pipe ban is lifted.

But what are the real facts behind the propaganda on the massive drive to improve our water supplies?

Wonderful North West Water, it turns out, is not spending more on that; it is spending a whole lot less.

For last year, while one of the worst droughts in memory was threatening supplies, the privatised company cut investment in water by 12.6 per cent.

And it was not the only one, half the water companies were doing to same.

And they have been doing it for years. Figures by the water industry regulator, Ofwat, show that investment in water and sewerage services is now £335million less than five years ago.

But have water bills gone down accordingly?

Quite the opposite, they have roared ahead of inflation.

So where is all that extra money going?

It is going out of fat profits into the shareholders' pockets.

That is all consumers can expect of undertakings that are businesses first, and public services a long way second.

It is proof, if ever it were needed, of what a rip-off the privatisation of water has been - and of the need to restore it to the public domain.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.