AMONG the many mistakes that the government has made, I regard the privatisation of the water industry as the greatest.

The introduction of the profit-motive into the provision of a national resource upon which all life depends and placing it in the hands of a private monopoly is the height of irresponsibility.

Before privatisation, water was free to all (subject only to water rates) to use whatever amount was needed, and everybody was happy.

Now, we are faced with the prospect of pre-payment water meters to ensure that the water companies are paid whatever monopoly price they decide to charge so that the higher executives can be paid their obscene perks and massive salaries etc, and the shareholders their inordinate dividends.

The effects on the most vulnerable of our people, the old, sick, unemployed, lowest-paid, etc, are not a consideration apparently; only that the water companies maximise their income and profits.

The introduction of pre-payment water meters should be and will be, resisted by the people, as they did the poll tax.

It is rationing of water by monopoly price and is wrong, and would have dire consequences.

C A BAKEWELL, St James Road, Blackburn.

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