We reached an incredible landmark on Sunday evening as the 200,000th signature was added to our petition to renationalise the water industry, cementing its status as one of the most signed in UK history.

Thank you again for your support! We have committed to delivering the petition to Number 10 and will be booking an appointment to do so in the coming weeks.

The Guardian today revealed that over 70% of the water industry is in owned by "Foreign investment firms, private equity, pension funds and businesses lodged in tax havens".

We must question exactly why overseas hedge funds would have an interest in running a regional utility in England for any reason other than money. No obvious motivation comes to mind.

Following an extremely wet November in which thousands of hours of sewage were pumped into seas and rivers around the country, it is more important now than ever that we stand up and fight this issue, rather than waiting for the British bathing season to return.

So continue to write to your local MP demanding that the issue is debated, share the petition and follow us on social media for further updates.

Together we will eventually make a difference.

Ed Acteson