I agree with your comment (The Argus, August 13) about the utility companies.

To ask customers to pay for repairs to infrastructure is nothing less than barefaced effrontery. The profits these companies make for providing an essential service, not to mention the pay-outs to shareholders, should cover the cost of repairs.

Water companies were privatised when authorities realised the ailing Victorian sewerage and water mains were coming to the end of their usefulness. The companies accepted the responsibility of maintenance without passing on the cost to customers.

The boot should be on the other foot. People who have suffered flood damage should be reimbursed by the water companies responsible for inadequate drainage.

If the principle of demanding compensation from customers for maintenance is accepted, may we expect higher prices for groceries when supermarket delivery vans break down?

Maurice Packham, Station Road, Horsham