Thames Water is failing the people of Guildford and our villages.

Last year, thousands of people here were left without water for 11 days. Currently, residents in nearby Bramley are having to boil their water. Thames Water releases sewage into the River Wey hundreds of times a year, leaving river users sick and the environment damaged.

Neither the Government nor OFWAT, the regulator, have taken any meaningful action.

Since privatisation, Thames Water has been changed from a public utility with no debts into a subsidiary of a failing private company and has over £14 billion in debt. £7 billion has been paid out in dividends.

Guildford, our villages and the surrounding area have been badly let down. Thames Water need to be required to invest to make sure they can supply clean, reliable water and deal properly with sewage. However, renationalisation would cost billions of pounds in payments, money which could be much better spent on solving the supply and treatment problems.

Thames Water should be made into a public benefit company, ensuring that they meet obligations on the environment.

It really is time for a change.