Water, water, every where, Nor any drop to drink (appologies to S.T. Colerige)

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The U.K. is awash with water, unfortunately a lot of it is in the wrong place and at the wrong time. In 2006 a lot of England had hosepipe bans with gardens turneing brown. A lot of this problem was actually caused by water leaks, on some days millions of gallons were lost due to leaks, which were left unfixed for weeks on end. Some customers had to collect water from stand pipes as the water from their taps were turned off. Since the water companies in England were privatised they seem to be after increase in profits at the expense of fixing leaks. What I would suggest is that these companies be fined for their lack of interest in fixing these leaks. Say £500 per day for each leak, And the same again for each unfilled hole (too often if they do bother to fix a leak, they leave the holes that they dug for months before fixing and on one occasion over a year) before filling them in. If they fix the holes within 3 days then set the fine to zero. If the leak recurs within 1 year then double the fine, also give compensation to the customers affected so that any fines come from the shareholders, not from the customers. I know that some of you are in countries that have drought all the year, but in U.K. with the amount of rainfall then there should never be drought, even in years with reduced rainfall.