ONCE we used to talk about hot summers, now there's either a drought or there isn't. How simple it was years ago. You don't have to be that old to remember endless days in the sun followed by wet autumns and winters held in Jack Frost's icy embrace. This was a time of certainties when every month made its mark on the year by acting like it was supposed to do. Now, May can be colder than January and August wetter than November.

Ah yes, say the experts, but we now have something called global warming and that is changing everything. However, this is not the whole picture.

The reason why there are periodical crises over water supply is because of huge multi-national companies such as Severn Trent virtually holding us to ransom over a commodity that's essential for life.

The company this week reported higher profits after a sharp rise in bills. As a sop to the public - and it's a wet one at that - the utility giant said that water restrictions this summer were unlikely. Sorry, but it doesn't really wash.

Companies like Severn Trent allow billions of gallons to leak away yet still chide the rest of us over perceived wastage. Don't flush the toilet unless you have to, be careful when you brush your teeth, avoid washing kitchen utensils under a running tap... the list is endless. I wouldn't mind so much but organisations like this are all about shareholders, not the consumers.

Anyway, here's a thought. Every few years, the Severn floods, producing incalculable amounts of surplus water. Why can't this bounty be saved, say in a network of reservoirs along the river's route? Wouldn't this have environmental benefits, too?

Sadly, there is no incentive for such daydreams to become reality. The shareholders would never allow it, for the big water companies are all about making money and precious else. It would take a drought of catastrophic proportions to force their hand.