Channel 4's drama Dirty Business has reignited calls for the nationalisation of the water industry, highlighting the tragic death of eight-year-old Heather Maughan in 1999 after she contracted E. coli from sewage-polluted seawater at Dawlish Warren in Devon. The drama, broadcast on Monday, portrays the failure of privatised water companies to prevent such pollution, despite promises of increased investment and efficiency following privatisation under Margaret Thatcher.
The programme follows campaigners Peter Hammond and Ash Smith, who uncovered evidence that Thames Water had been illegally dumping sewage into rivers at rates far higher than regulators believed. Their investigation revealed that raw sewage continued to pollute rivers even after EU directives led to improved coastal water treatment, with the Environment Agency reportedly dismissing concerns by stating 'no one swims in rivers'.
Today, the privatised water industry is burdened with £60bn in debt, while shareholders have received £78bn in dividends. Sewage pollution remains at record levels, and infrastructure has been neglected. As Thames Water faces financial collapse, campaigners are urging the government to place it into special administration—a form of temporary public control—but ministers have so far resisted, preferring to rely on private investment.
