What now for Thames Water as investors turn off the taps?

With ?500m of emergency funding withdrawn, calls are growing for the stricken company to be taken into public ownershipThirty-five years ago, investors flocked to buy into the water industry, an essential public utility and a monopoly, in a sell-off by Margaret Thatcher which was deeply unpopular with the public, but saw shareholders gain 40%, on average, on the first day of trading.Despite the ?56bn paid out in dividends to shareholders in the sector since privatisation, today investors in the biggest beast, Thames Water, appear to be running for the hills. Continue reading...