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Fighting for Britain鈥檚 rivers

Water industry is one of the biggest sources of pollution says campaigner Feargal Sharkey

England is seeing its water industry heaped with debt and its environment get more and more degraded, warns clean water campaigner Feargal Sharkey.

The former punk rock musician says the companies responsible for Britain鈥檚 water infrastructure are forgetting about the environment.

Speaking to HARDtalk鈥檚 Stephen Sackur, Mr Sharkey said 鈥淲hen you have a company operating the monopoly, you need a system of regulation capable of delivering and ensuring not only the interests of the customer and bill-payers, but the environment.鈥

He hit back at water companies claims that have seen billions of pounds of investment.

鈥淲hen water companies mentioned the word investment, it's not in the sense that you and I and most people would think of it - that the shareholders have taken cash out of their back pockets,鈥 says Mr Sharkey.

鈥淎ny money spent by the water companies has actually been funded by bill payers.鈥

Mr Sharkey is leading the campaign to clean up Britain鈥檚 waterways with fishermen and conservationists pitted against the privatised water industry and state regulators.

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3 minutes