Utility Week articles from May 2003

Utility Week archives from May 2003

PAN-UTILITY; Ads watchdog raps utilities for misleading.(some energy and telecoms firms have fallen foul of Advertising Standards Authority for misleading marketing)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A clutch of energy and telecoms companies including some of the biggest household names have fallen foul of the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) for misleading marketing, according to the watchdog's latest set of adjudications. The...

GAS; BG's North Sea asset sale raises [pounds sterling]85m.(BG Group to sell package of southern North Sea gas production assets to Perenco)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... BG Group is to sell a package of its southern North Sea gas production assets to Perenco in a cash deal worth [pounds sterling]85 million. The sale includes BG's interest in a total of 11 non-operated fields, as well as the site and...

PAN-UTILITY; British Gas has best utility website.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... British Gas has the best website of all utilities, according to independent online research consultancy Blays Net Ratings. Blays gave British Gas the gold award in the utilities category of its April 2003 award scheme. The silver award...

WATER; Water bills set to increase by [pounds sterling]10 in 2003.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Water bills in England and Wales will rise by an average of 1 per cent this year (2003/04), Ofwat has announced. Charges for water will go up by 0.9 per cent in real terms and sewerage by 1.2 per cent. This will result in a [pounds...

electricity; CEZ increases its reliance on nuclear power.(CEZ expects nuclear energy to account for almost 45% of its power output in 2003)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... CEZ, the dominant Czech electricity generator, last week said it expected nuclear energy to account for almost 45 per cent of its power output in 2003, up from 35 per cent last year. The forecast comes after the completion of CEZ's...

PAN-UTILITY; Poor capital handling costing utilities e67bn.(European utilities waste e67 billion by employing their capital poorly)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... by Karma Ockenden European utilities are wasting e67 billion by employing their capital poorly, according to working capital consultancy REL. Process inefficiencies - namely unbilled and uncollected debts from customers and early and...

telecoms; Cesky told to bring internet up to speed.(Cesky Telecom ordered by government to improve its high-speed ADSL internet service )(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Dominant Czech fixed-line carrier Cesky Telecom has been ordered by the government to improve its high-speed ADSL internet service. Czech information technology minister Vladimir Mlynar last week (25 April) gave Cesky until the summer to...

TELECOMS; Colt sales unsaddled despite profits hike.(Colt Telecom)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... by Zo Grainge Alternative carrier Colt Telecom admitted that quarter-on-quarter revenues were flat despite huge gains in underlying profit. First quarter 2003 revenues were [pounds sterling]271.7 million, compared with fourth-quarter...

Spread vetting.(European Commission to reform competition law enforcement)
May 2, 2003... Brussels is giving member states responsibility for ensuring compliance with competition rules . Br?na Heenan looks at what this means for utilities. The European Commission has fully embarked on reforming how European Union competition...

electricity; Growth means more power for the Czechs.(Czech electricity consumption should rise by 1-2% annually over the next 7 years)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Czech electricity consumption is expected to rise in tandem with an improving economy over much of the next decade. According to a forecast from the country's Energy Regulation Office, consumption should rise by 1-2 per cent annually over...

gas; Denmark moves to liberalise gas.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Significant liberalisation of Denmark's natural gas market has been agreed in a deal between the European Commission's competition directorate and the key suppliers and producers in the Danish sector. Shell, AP Moller and ChevronTexaco have...

PAN-UTILITY; Most utilities fall short on customer data accuracy.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Utilities are the laggards in database accuracy, according to the findings of a recent survey. Database manager Hays Marketing Technology found that the utility sector was the only industry sector surveyed that failed to meet accuracy...

TELECOMS; Laws kick-in to open up German market.(Deutsche Telekom's monopoly comes to end after it signed deals with 19 alternative carriers allowing them to compete for local calls )
May 2, 2003... by Zo Grainge One of the final elements of German incumbent Deutsche Telekom's monopoly came to an end last week, after the telecoms company signed agreements with 19 alternative carriers allowing them to compete for local calls. The...

Keep on running.(utilities and planning for emergencies)
May 2, 2003... Tony Blair's speech at the Lord Mayor's banquet on 11 November 2002 should have made industry sit up. His presumably deliberate listing of the many national facilities said to have been threatened 'on many occasions' by terrorists should leave...

ELECTRICITY; Italian grid in need of e1.1bn refurbishment.(Gestore della Rete di Trasmissione Nazionale says e1.1 billion investment is needed over next 3 years to modernise network )
May 2, 2003... by Simon Jones Italy's national grid operator, Gestore della Rete di Trasmissione Nazionale (GRTN), has warned that an investment of e1.1 billion is needed over the next three years to modernise the network and maintain security of supply....

GAS; Demand surge lifts Enagas.(Enagas forecasts profits to rise 15% in 2003)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Spanish gas distributor Enagas has forecast profits to rise 15 per cent in 2003, boosted by higher regulated earnings, the start-up of new assets and a growing domestic market for natural gas. At its annual shareholders meeting, Enagas...

gas; Eni and Gazprom forge closer ties.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Italian energy group Eni and Russian giant Gazprom want to extend their co-operation in the oil and gas sectors. Among the joint ventures discussed at a meeting in Rome between Eni boss Vittorio Mincato and Gazprom chairman Alexei Miller...

electricity; German watchdog slashes grid fees.(Federal Cartel Office orders Stadtwerke Mainz to cut fees)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Germany's Federal Cartel Office (FCO) has ordered Stadtwerke Mainz to cut its grid fees by 20 per cent. FCO president Ulf Boge said a comparison with RWE Net, made under new powers to investigate the costs on which suppliers based access...

pan-utility; Italy to restrict the power of its golden shares.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... The Italian government is to limit the influence of its golden shares in some of the country's biggest utilities. The economics ministry's privatisation committee wants to restrict Rome's role in Telecom Italia, Eni and Enel to vetoing...

Man hunt.(global recruitment at utilities)
May 2, 2003... The utilities sector is now truly global in nature and therefore so should be the recruitment processes which fuel its growth. Many UK-based utilities have increased their international outlook over recent years as they have developed beyond...

ENERGY; Helm attacks energy policy 'credibility gap'.(Dieter Helm)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... by Roger Milne Regulation guru Dieter Helm this week launched a scathing attack on the government's energy policy, warning of possible power cuts and claiming a 'credibility gap' existed at the heart of the recent White Paper. He...

WATER; New house-build plan is water risk, MPs say.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... by Roger Milne Parliament this week voiced 'dismay' at the government's proposals for major new housing in southern England, which MPs warned was being planned by ministers without due consideration of the need for sustainable water...

ELECTRICITY; Bank backs Iceland geothermal plan.(European Investment Bank)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... The European Investment bank has helped boost development of geothermal energy in Iceland with a planned loan of e23.5 million to a project outside the nation's capital. The loan would help extend the electricity generating power of...

GSM gateways.(mobile network operators try to shut down gateway firms)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... According to The Sunday Times, mobile network operators are attempting to shut down so-called 'GSM gateway' companies, for what the newspaper describes as 'spurious' reasons. GSM gateway companies use banks of 'Sim' cards, which convert...

Vertical vision again.(vertically integrated strategies at utilities)
May 2, 2003... In business, as in most walks of life, fashions come and go. Merger is often followed by demerger, the creation of conglomerates by break-up, mass market retail by a move to niche marketing. And so it goes with utilities too. We report this...

Keep an eye on gas meters.(Letter to the Editor)
May 2, 2003... Sir, I am disappointed that Ofgem is not sufficiently monitoring in-service gas meters. As the gas meter market opens to competition, comparative data on in-service performance would help meter purchasers make informed decisions. Consumers...

Local loop unbundling stymied.(industry briefs)
May 2, 2003... A survey of local loop unbundling in Europe has revealed a chorus of complaints that incumbents have acted in a way which protects their markets rather than opens up competition. That is the conclusion of the latest annual survey just...

ELECTRICITY; Scientists call for atom plant boost.(nuclear power)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A group of top nuclear scientists has warned that internationally agreed targets for pollution cuts will not be achieved unless nuclear power is increased substantially. 'In short, we do not think nuclear power is the answer to the problem...

International Power.(contracts, profit data)
May 2, 2003... by Zo Grainge International Power (IP) is living up to its name, with a recent contract win in Abu Dhabi and reported 'interest' in building an 800MW combined-cycle power plant in Spain. The company recently led a consortium to acquire...

Endesa.(Company Profile)
May 2, 2003... by Nigel Hawkins Founded in 1944, the Madrid-based Endesa is one of Spain's largest companies. It vies with Iberdrola to be the country's national electricity champion. As a major integrated electricity player in Spain, notwithstanding...

ELECTRICITY; NIE power cut warning after Belfast attacks.(Northern Ireland Electricity)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... A sharp rise in attacks on Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE) workers in Belfast has prompted the company to warn its customers of supply cuts. The warning - and an appeal to local councillors for help - came after a spate of assaults on...

TELECOMS; Hutchison 3G gets [pounds sterling]200m cash injection.(investment from NTT DoCoMo)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Japanese telecoms carrier NTT DoCoMo is to plough [pounds sterling]200 million into UK third-generation (3G)mobile operator Hutchison 3G, in response to a cash call last month from Hutchison's parent company, Hutchison Whampoa. Hutchison...

ENERGY; Iberdrola mulls court to repel Natural bid.(Iberdrola may sue Gas Natural)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... by Ivan Castano Spain's number two energy company, Iberdrola, is considering court action against rival Gas Natural after the Spanish gas giant launched a e14 billion hostile bid for it. Sources close to the companies said Iberdrola -...

WATER; Northumbrian set for sale as Suez groans.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... by Karma Ockenden French multi-utility Suez looked ready to ditch its Northumbrian Water subsidiary last week after showing signs of running out of patience with the UK's system of privatisation and regulation. Speaking at a combined...

TELECOMS; Orange's sales squeezed by weak Sterling.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... France Telecom-owned mobile operator Orange suffered from the weak pound in the first quarter of 2003, with revenues for the UK growing slightly to [pounds sterling]984.9 million from [pounds sterling]971.2 million in the same period last year....

Energy minister's star on the wane?(Brian Wilson)
May 2, 2003... Tony's 50, Parliament is back and speculation is inevitably growing about the contents of the impending summer reshuffle. There are also signs that the government is poised to take draconian action on the pay of under-performing 'fat cats'. ...

One step at a time.(prepay mobile phone service customers)
May 2, 2003... Pre-paid services have been the big success story for mobile telephony over recent years. Prepay, more than any other factor, has turned the mobile telephone from a business tool into a ubiquitous everyday item. In fact, most operators have a...

TELECOMS; Reseller shares dive 40% after profit warning.(Project Telecom)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Mobile airtime reseller Project Telecom last week issued a profits warning for 2003, sending its shares tumbling by 40 per cent. Project Telecom lowered growth expectations for the current year and said 'profits from continuing operations...

ELECTRICITY; Spanish grid plots e1bn unification.(Red Electrica)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Spanish electricity grid operator Red Electrica has pledged to invest e250 million a year for the next four years on its domestic network and to maintain annual profit growth at 15 per cent. Red Electrica chairman Pedro Mielgo said the...

GAS; Ofgem backs Rough deal conditions.(Centrica to purchase Rough facility)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Energy regulator Ofgem has hardened its stance on Centrica's purchase of the Rough gas storage facility, currently the subject of a Competition Commission investigation. The regulator has signalled that it backs the Commission's line that...

WATER; Prices must not limit access to debt funds.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... by Paul Garrett With debt taking over from equity as the water sector's chief source of capital, a report has warned that regulator Ofwat must pitch its next price review to enable companies to access capital markets. Against a...

GAS; Price cuts hit Czech pipeline firms' revenues.(STP, SCP)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Two regional gas distributors in the Czech Republic, both controlled by German multi-utility giant RWE, suffered first-quarter drops in revenues. The decline was blamed on two price cuts last year ordered by the regulator. Central...

WATER; Privatisation denied as cuts increase.(Scottish Water)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... More jobs - beyond the 900 announced last week - may have to go at Scottish Water. The government was forced to deny that the cuts were designed to clear the way for privatisation. News of the initial job cuts - necessary to meet regulatory...

WATER; Agency cuts through green swamp.(Environment Agency issues guidance for water firms)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... The Environment Agency has had to issue guidance for water companies to help them wade through the swamp of environmental legislation issued by Brussels and the government. The guidance covered the range of European Union and national laws...

PAN-UTILITY; Vertically integrated model seen as the way forward.(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Global utilities in the future will be based on the vertically integrated model rather than multi-utilities, according to a new survey from consultancy PricewaterhouseCoopers. The survey, Movers and Shapers 2003, canvassed the views of more...

Telcos give investors a lift.
May 2, 2003... by Trevor Dooley Investors perked up over telecoms after the Easter break but energy and water stocks need another holiday. Mobile operator MMO2 picked up at the start of the week on speculation it was about to do a deal over its...

TELECOMS; Virgin tops first-quarter sales record.(Virgin Mobile)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... Mobile operator Virgin Mobile has announced a record first-quarter sales performance, adding 253,200 net connections. Its total customer base grew to 2.6 million, an increase of 63.8 per cent on the same period in 2002. The company, which...

WATER; Brussels proposes e1bn water fund.(European Commission proposes fund for safe water)(Brief Article)
May 2, 2003... The European Commission has proposed ploughing e1 billion into a fund to cut the number of people without access to safe water and basic sanitation. The Commission said the aid would be targeted at 77 African, Caribbean and Pacific...

Old plays, old deals, old hata.
May 2, 2003... News that Norsk Hydro is to sponsor the production that reopens London's famous Almeida theatre (think Nicole Kidman in the altogether) set the great man musing. Unsurprisingly, the Norwegian energy company is putting its wad behind a...

TELECOMS; Roaming allowed for 3G entrants.(European Commission gives go-ahead for limited 3rd generation infrastructure sharing in the UK )(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... In a move that offers help for cash-strapped operators, the European Commission has given the go-ahead for limited third generation (3G) infrastructure sharing in the UK. The Commission decided that national roaming between licensed...

wATER; Vivendi checks AWG's Czech businesses.(Vivendi Water Ceska Republika expresses interest in Vodovody a Kanalizace Jizni Cechy and Vodovody a Kanalizace Beroun)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Vivendi Environnement has eyed up some of AWG's Czech water interests as part of a bid to strengthen its hold in the Czech Republic. The French company's local subsidiary, Vivendi Water Ceska Republika, last week expressed an interest in...

eNERGY; Code appeal regime mooted.(government starts consultation on proposed new appeals procedure for 3 crucial areas of energy competition )(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The government last week honoured a White Paper commitment by starting consultation on a proposed new appeals procedure for three crucial areas of energy competition. At issue are moves to give individual companies the opportunity to...

No portal ; combat.(Aquadia, online marketplace for water sector, wants to be seen purely as tool for optimising buying and selling transactions )
May 9, 2003... Appearances can be deceptive. At first glance, Aquadia, the online marketplace for the water sector set up in October 2002, looks like it has the same goals and rationale as the other web procurement hubs that operate in the utility sector -...

ENERGY; Atlantic strikes affinity deal with Glow.(Atlantic Electric and Gas signs affinity partnership with telecoms reseller Glow Telecom)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Gloucester-based energy supplier Atlantic Electric and Gas has signed an affinity partnership with telecoms reseller Glow Telecom. Under the deal, Atlantic will handle customer services and all back-office accounts and billing functions...

TELECOMS; Broadband bucks up Telewest debt woes.(cable broadband customers)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... by Zo Grainge Cable broadband customers topped one million last week. The joint announcement by cable rivals NTL and Telewest was a public poke in the eye for BT, which has thrown its marketing weight behind broadband. The two...

GAS ; Connection move by Ofgem.(Ofgem to raise competition in provision of gas connections to domestic housing developments and industrial and commercial sites)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Energy regulator Ofgem has signalled moves to increase competition in the provision of gas connections to domestic housing developments and industrial and commercial sites. Customers currently requiring a one-off connection have little...

ELECTRICITY; April prices upturn takes toll on low-load sites.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Prices took a rare upturn and Npower was the greatest loser, while green deals petered out in this year's April electricity contract round. Market analysts John Hall Associates reported that in the 100kW-plus market, energy-only prices...

PAN-UTILITY; Telecoms sector the best at adding value.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... by Karma Ockenden Despite its beleaguered state, telecoms was the utility that created the most value for the economy and came second only to banks in terms of the wealth created by all sectors last year, according to a government report....

Taken down.(oil and gas industry vexed in last 2-3 years with question of who pays for removal of structures in North Sea, and associated costs)
May 9, 2003... More than 35 years ago the oil and gas industry started the process of installing hardware in the North Sea when the first gas-producing platform was introduced on the West Sole Field located 70km off the Humberside coast. Since then, over 200...

The Sommer of our discontent.(former Deutsche Telekom chairman, CEO Ron Sommer)
May 9, 2003... Under pressure from seriously discontented shareholders, including the German government, Ron Sommer was ousted last July as chairman and chief executive of Deutsche Telekom. His job, probably the most important in German business, was...

ENERGY; Coal boost raises carbon emissions.(environmental performance of electricity sector)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Although carbon dioxide emissions from UK power stations have fallen by two-third in terms of power output since the early 1950s, the latest figures on the electricity sector's environmental performance have shown a rise in emissions of the...

TELECOMS; Delays in European laws frustrate operators.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The implementation of the European Telecoms Framework Directive, designed to create a level playing field for operators, could be delayed for several months as member states struggle to meet the deadline. The European Commission gave...

TELECOMS; Deutsche Telekom in Polish court defeat.(claim against Elektrim for control of PTC denied)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... by Simon Jones Deutsche Telekom has lost a court battle with bankrupt Polish telecoms and energy group Elektrim to try and seize control of PTC, Poland's biggest mobile operator. The Court of Arbitration in Vienna rejected the German...

GAS; Eon to bid for Statoil stake to ease Russian reliance.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... New Eon chairman Wulf Bernotat hinted last week that the company planned to bid for the 15 per cent stake in Statoil that was reportedly going to be placed with a strategic investor by the Norwegian government. But state-controlled...

MULTI-UTILITY; Essent boosts profits by 11 per cent.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The Netherlands' leading power supplier, Essent, recorded pre-tax profit up 11 per cent to e311 million last year on sales up almost 10 per cent to e6.9 billion. The Arnhem-based multi-utility lost market share in the intermediate power...

ENERGY; MEPs strike deals over liberalisation.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The European Parliament's key industry committee has agreed proposed reforms to the European Union's gas and electricity liberalisation directives but it is holding out for some key changes. The committee wanted gas and electricity to be...

ENERGY; CHP laws 'lacking ambition'.(co-generation of heat and power)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Long-awaited European Union legislation promoting the co-generation of heat and power (CHP) has been attacked in the European Parliament. MEPs criticised the legislation for 'lacking ambition'. The parliament's industry committee supported...

GAS; GdF gets green light for German bid.(Gaz de France to acquire oil, gas units of Preussag Energie)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The European Commission has given the go-ahead for the acquisition by Gaz de France (GdF) of the German oil and gas activities of Preussag Energie. Brussels has been examining the potential effect on competition in Germany's upstream...

GAS; Dutch-UK link starts in 2004.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Gasunie subsidiary Gastransport Services (GTS) plans to build a new pipeline from the Netherlands to the UK. It has invited capacity nominations from shippers for the proposed route from the northern Dutch coast to the Bacton terminal on...

ENERGY; Energy suppliers 'failing customers'.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... Energy companies in the UK have been acquiring large numbers of customers through merger and acquisition but are in danger of losing many because of dissatisfaction about poor customer service. Research from market analyst Datamonitor has...

Short and sweet.(interim managers)
May 9, 2003... Interim managers can be a godsend for utilities going through change, difficulty or recruitment problems . By Nigel Corby. Interim management is something of a grey area for many organisations. People tend to fall into three categories on...

ENERGY; Serbia to get e69m loan from Brussels.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The European Commission has announced it will spend e69 million this year on an overhaul of Serbia's Nikola Tesla A5 and B1 thermal power plants, as well as funding training programmes and making management improvements in Serbia's energy...

PAN-UTILITY; Globalisation 'threat to jobs'.(International Labour Organisation)(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... United Nation's agency the International Labour Organisation (ILO) has warned that globalisation of the world's utilities is cutting jobs in the energy and water sectors, with only the roll-out of new infrastructure and services in developing...

Ofwat on tight rein.(Letter to the Editor)
May 9, 2003... Dear Sir: Frequently Utility Week seems to promote a view of regulation as a source of profligacy (Peer Pressure, 11 April). Indeed, the article highlights the author's quote: 'There is currently no incentive on regulators to reduce costs.' ...

PAN-UTILITY; Brussels should keep it clean.
May 9, 2003... by Keith Nuthall The European Commission has been boasting proudly of its achievements in boosting competition in the gas sector, and the European Parliament has supported the latest energy liberalisation directives (see story below)....

Internet users still increasing.
May 9, 2003... Although the bursting of the internet bubble has left many players in financial difficulties, the number of internet users has continued to rise, according to the latest research compiled by the European think-tank IDATE Foundation. ...

electricity; Audit office warns about market rigging.
May 9, 2003... by Trevor Dooley Power prices are vulnerable to market abuse and energy regulator Ofgem needs to probe why wholesale price cuts are not finding their way into household bills, according to the public expenditure watchdog. In its report...

International Energy Group.
May 9, 2003... by Zo Grainge 2002 was the first year that Guernsey-based gas connections and liquefied petroleum gas supplier International Energy Group (IEG) was solely focused on its core energy business, after a pound sterling50 million property...

Verbund.(profile of Austrian hydro-electricity generator)(Company Profile)
May 9, 2003... by Nigel Hawkins Verbund, whose origins date back to the Second Nationalisation Act of 1947, is Austria's largest electricity generator, employing 2,800 people. Verbund has a station capacity of almost 8,900MW. It is also responsible...

ENERGY; Regulator thwarts Gas Natural.(CNE opposes bid to acquire Iberdrola)
May 9, 2003... by Ivan Castano Spanish energy regulator CNE has torpedoed Gas Natural's e14 billion bid to acquire rival Iberdrola by refusing to authorise the deal. In a curt statement, the Spanish energy watchdog rejected the operation, although...

WATER; Deutsche joins Northumbrian bid fray.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... A consortium of Deutsche Bank, investment group Ecofin and stockbrokers Collins Stewart has made the shortlist of groups bidding for Northumbrian Water. The new consortium joins CVC Capital Partners and the private equity arm of Morgan...

Anchor man.
May 9, 2003... The size and scope of utilities is evolving, and the job of the people who run them is evolving too. Once we had managing directors and chief executives, but now there are chief operating officers too. Jeremy Pelczer became Thames Water's first...

Blunt blows out on energy front.
May 9, 2003... Twenty-four hours before he challenged the leadership of the Conservative Party last week by resigning as energy spokesman, Crispin Blunt MP was in action in the Commons. First he quizzed the PM about the government's heavily criticised...

WATER; Ayr collapse warns of network frailty.(Brief Article)
May 9, 2003... The poor state of Scotland's water infrastructure has come to light last month after one of the main sewers serving Ayr collapsed into the River Ayr. Sewage was escaping direct into the river, which flows out into the sea off Ayr beach....