Global survey shows high satisfaction with British water and private investment

Water UK promoted the findings of a major new international Ipsos poll for the Global Infrastructure Investor Association which showed very high satisfaction ratings for Great Britain’s water and sewerage services. 73% of those surveyed (almost 20,000 people across 28 countries) said services here were good, compared to 55% globally and 60% in the G8. In fact the only country with a higher rating was Germany, with 76%.

Within Britain, water and sewerage was the second highest rated infrastructure sector, just behind airports, with an improvement of 8% on last year’s results. Water’s 73% was significantly above major roads and motorways (60%), wind energy (49%), rail infrastructure (38%), and flood defences (32%).

Moreover, Water UK reported those in favour of private investment in infrastructure outnumber those against by four to one (58% to 13%), and 62% would prefer technical experts rather than elected politicians (13%) to make decisions about new infrastructure. Only 8% of respondents thought that ownership should be an important factor in future infrastructure plans.

Water UK chief executive Michael Roberts said: “The water industry in this country has invested billions of pounds in making our water and sewerage services some of the best in the world, and it is good to see the recognition for the many advances and improvements made over the years. We are a long way from where we were 30 years ago, when chronic underfunding made Britain the Dirty Man of Europe. Now our cleaner beaches, healthier waterways, and ambitious plans for the future make us the envy of the world.”