'Private water companies are destroying British wildlife and putting people's health at risk'

Under the Tories, our precious natural environment has become clogged with filth

Time for a clean break

Last year, privatised water companies dumped a record amount of raw sewage in our seas and rivers. The state of Britain’s waters is destroying wildlife and putting people’s health at risk.

The situation is so bad, that competitors in this year’s Boat Race have been warned to stay out of the Thames, contaminated with E-coli.

Under the Tories, our precious natural environment has become clogged with filth, detritus and effluence. Almost every stretch of river in England is blighted by pollution.

We are paying the price for the disastrous privatisation of the water companies, with companies paying out billions of pounds to shareholders which should have been spent on cleaning up our rivers and waterways.

At the very least, these firms should be ordered to forgo any bonuses or dividends until they end the discharge of untreated sewage. Better still, they should be brought back under state control.

Hollow hoax

Angela Rayner is right to call the Tory promise to level up England’s regions a “sham and a scam”.A recent report found just 10% of the £10billion promised had been distributed.

The flagship policy was a ruse designed to distract attention from the 40% real terms fall in Government grants to local councils.

Under the Conservatives, communities have been hollowed out rather than levelled up. Underfunded town halls have been left with no choice but to raise taxes and cut services.

Polling guru Sir John Curtice reckons Labour has a 99% chance of forming the next administration. Voters have had enough of false promises from a discredited Government.

A terrible loss

Paul O’Grady’s husband, Andre Portasio, speaks movingly of the chasm left by the star’s death a year ago.The loss is all the more profound because of the joy the presenter brought to his life – and to the lives of his millions of fans.