ben wrote:

The real point is, this country is not short of water, it does have a
grossly inefficient distribution system were water can't easily be
moved around the country and were distribution pipes sometimes
resemble colanders...

quite. If an international pipeline one day enables our excess to flow
to countries lacking water, at a price, this may change. But for now
we've got more than we could use sensibly.


Not to mention the old Victorian sewers that are still in use and need
widening/replacing as they are incapable of dispersing rainwater in heavy
floods.

True in some cases, but not across the board. There are plenty of
Victorian systems that cope quite happily with the heaviest of weather.


NT