Breaking News English

The UK is experiencing "poonami" - a sewage [crises / crisis] . The environmental group Greenpeace said water companies poured toilet [paste / waste] into rivers and seas for more than 300,000 hours in 2022. Many people have complained about becoming [sickness / sick] after swimming in the sea. Others expressed [corners / concerns] about the terrible smell on beaches, or the horrible brown colour [of / as] the water. The research company Savanta conducted a [pill / poll] about people's opinions on the poor [qualify / quality] of water. Almost a quarter [of / to] swimmers said they might not swim in the sea this year because [of / on] the risk. Last week, at least 57 people got diarrhoea after competing [in / on] sea swimming events at a World Triathlon Championship.

England and Wales are the only countries [on / in] the world to have privatized [their / them] water and sewage services. The UK government sold its water [on / to] private companies in 1987. The companies promised [for / to] spend billions of pounds on making services better. However, many Britons have complained [what / that] things have become much worse. The privatized companies have not invested enough money [in / by] stopping leaks or in modernizing systems. Since 1991, they have [bought / paid] over £2 billion a year to their shareholders. Water campaigner and ex-rock star Feargal Sharkey is [angrily / angry] with the water companies. He said they have [failure / failed] to create a quality system. He also blamed the UK government for not [acting / action] .