Water companies should not be allowed to pay dividends unless they do more to prevent pollution, according to a YouGov poll for The Times.
Asked who they thought was most responsible for the pollution of Britain’s rivers and beaches, 31 per cent assigned most blame to the water companies, 21 per cent pointed the finger at manufacturing companies and 17 per cent held the government responsible.
There is still little support for the government’s handling of the issue. Only 11 per cent of the country think the government is dealing with water pollution well, while 68 per cent say it is handling it badly.
Even among those who would vote Conservative if an election were held today, 27 per cent say the government is handling