Your Letters: December 9

WATER FIRMS USE THE SAME SCRIPT?

Reading an article about the state of our water supply companies. One of them, not the one that supplies us, bleats that 'they are a special case' have an aged and badly worn infrastructure. That excuse seems to be regularly trotted out by all the water companies. Are they all using the same script?

Why then is the infrastructure of the water companies in such a state then? An easy, and probably fairly accurate answer could be that they've been paying their shareholders too much in dividends and not retaining funds in the business to keep their equipment properly cared for.

Now these companies are taking their begging bowls to Ofwat and government asking for higher charges from their customers (ie you and me) with extra funding from the state. I have several two word answers to that request. None of which are printable but do involve some basic Anglo Saxon. Why should the consumer be 'punished' with higher charges?  OK, their shareholders would have to go without the fat dividends they've had for years. My answer to them is I'm sorry but who held a gun to your head and forced you to buy the shareholding you have? 

Michael Gough, Wombourne

COUNTY GETS BUTT END OF TRANSPORT

Shaun Davies, Labour MP for Telford, is absolutely right to take up the issue of unreliable trains by the two companies that run services between Shrewsbury and Birmingham.

Compared to the West Midlands and other Metro boroughs, Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin get the 'butt end' of transport provision which holds back the whole area economically and socially.