But its probably improving your surfing experience. I would suspect as a large % of users there live in rural communities the cost of maintaining the infrastructure is huge. Before privatisation you would probably be subsidised - now that wont be the case unless the government give subsidies to Water Cos in more rural areas.
We bought a house down south recently to do up and rent out. The waste collection was so strict (basically you couldnt throw out anything and you never knew when it would be collected anyway) and the recycling centres were almost impossible to get into (had to take along your council tax bill and a neighbour who would swear you lived next door) that we used to just fill the car up and drop the rubbish in Manchester when we get home, where the centres are much more welcoming. However there is talk of a scheme in Manchester to weigh the general non-recyclables bin on collection and charge a fee to those with more than the maximum weekly amount.
I've been a member of Surfers against Sewage for years and my good friend Chris Hines was responsible for forcing much of the policy change on dumping raw sewage at sea. That's probably the single biggest improvement down here that the water companies have made. Before that you'd be in the sea with tampons floating around and all sorts of brown foaming crap. Loads of people got sick from swimming/surfing in polluted water.
I pay just under 50 a month for water. It's a ****ing joke. Don't pay for a TV licence. Just send them a letter and tell them you don't have a TV and don't want their goons at your door. They'll then write back saying they'll not bother you for a couple year.
