 About a third of those questioned are unhappy with the current service |
A growing number of people living in Scotland are in favour of water privatisation, a survey has found. Ten years ago a poll found that 97% of people supported keeping water in the public sector.
But research by the Scottish Consumer Council (SCC) suggested that the figure has now dropped to 70%.
The SCC said the majority of people questioned still want to see a publicly funded system, but about a third were unhappy with the current service.
The drop has been attributed to concerns about levels of investment and inefficiencies in the industry.
The council said many households had also seen a rise in water charges and that these increases were being used to keep the cost of water down for businesses.
However, the Federation of Small Businesses argued that it was the other way around.
In its response, Scottish Water said that it had made huge improvements in efficiency in the two years since it was formed, saving customers �70m.
It added that it believes that in the next two years it will prove that the public sector model for water in Scotland works.
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