The Observer view on the urgent need to reform the water industry | Observer editorial

If the private sector cannot develop a water system fit for a dry future it could be time to reconsider the business modelA smelly sewage works in Southampton was the least of Southern Water’s misdemeanours. Almost all of the record-breaking £126m fine imposed on the company last week by Ofwat, its regulator, was attributed to the dirty, untreated water that flowed from the taps of as many as 4.3 million residents.Southern’s managers, who covered up leaks at treatment plants fr