Sir, John Walton says that water companies are unwilling to invest in infrastructure (letter, Mar 15). Quite the contrary; they are happy to invest in infrastructure because they would be entitled to earn a return on the investment (through increases in water bills). The barrier to investment is the regulator, Ofwat, which has to balance the investment needs with the impact on consumers bills. Thus far it has not been persuaded that the costs of major water transportation schemes are justified.
Jeremy Taylor
Marlow, Bucks