ISN'T it time United Utilities really united to get its act together in sorting out the water shortage problem, particularly in the drought-ridden south of England?

There is no reason why it can't. Here in the north we have plenty of water, so it's time we invested in a grid system, to distribute water to all parts.

Let's not plead poverty about all the cost, United Utilities can afford it from all the money it gets out of us all. And it only needs doing once.

We can't go on running out of water every time we have a dry spell, but still cream off the profits to shareholders and golden handshakes to the bosses.

I can remember long ago when water was known as corporation pop', meaning that it was supposed to be free, as it drops out of clouds in the sky, and wasn't meant to be made into profits by private enterprises.

Let's get our act together before it's too late, there's plenty of water under the ground to be siphoned by bore holes, and even more in the sea which only needs the salt taking out.

Other countries such as Spain have had to do something about it and they can even afford to wash the streets down every night with water tankers.

So let's do it now, before we're under water with floods from the heavy rain we've had by so-called global warming.

BRIAN WATSON, Rosehill Road, Burnley.