Thames Water

We need an urgent response from Thames Water to get water supplies back on as soon as possible and to protect vulnerable communities. Once the water is flowing again, we need to establish exactly what happened and why. My worry is that decades of underinvestment in our infrastructure and poor regulation may be causing incidences like this. Right now, however, the priority must be getting water back in our taps.

— Monica Harding, MP for Esher and Walton, Surrey — urging Thames Water to respond urgently, investigate the cause, and highlight underinvestment and regulatory concerns.

I accept I may pay a political price but someone has to go through the pain barrier and rip the plaster off.

— Andy Burnham during his Labour conference speech in Liverpool, discussing the political risk of reforming the pensions triple lock to fund a national care service.

We would not be taking this step unless it was necessary to protect water supplies for everyone and the environment.

— Nevil Muncaster, director of strategic water resources at Thames Water

The private sector owners of Thames Water have failed consumers, the environment, and the workforce. The government must take decisive action and nationalise Thames Water.

— Gary Carter, a national officer at the GMB union, speaking about Thames Water and nationalisation