Last week's Poll: should the UK water industry be renationalised?

These are the results of our recent poll, which received 500 votes between August 23 - August 30. The original story is below.

With untreated sewage on the beaches, drought warnings in place across the country, and an estimated three billion litres of water leaking from the network across England and Wales every day, there’s little doubt that the UK’s water industry is in a state of chaos.

In this week’s poll we’re asking whether – as many are suggesting – the time has come to renationalise the sector.

On the surface the case for nationalisation is compelling. In its current form, the sector has failed in what should surely be its fundamental task of shepherding and protecting our water supplies and cutting the discharge of raw sewage into our waterways. Against this backdrop - in a depressingly familiar pattern - consumer prices have increased whilst shareholders and company leaders have creamed off the profits. Indeed, according to a report in The Guardian, water company executives received average bonus payouts of £100,000, despite most firms failing to meet sewage pollution targets.