PROTESTERS against the removal of water services from council control yesterday demonstrated outside an operations depot of the new quango East of Scotland Water in Edinburgh.
Around 20 donned hard hats, white suits, and anti-contamination masks in what they claimed was an effort to highlight the danger to public health inherent in water privatisation.
Lothian communities' Totally Against Water Privatisation claimed that the running of water and sewerage services by appointed quangos was the first step towards handing them over to the private sector.
Tap has succeeded in disrupting most of the public sessions of board meetings of East of Scotland Water held this year.
Its claims about the recent state of the public water supply in Wester Hailes were described as ``inaccurate, misleading, and defamatory'' in a toughly worded statement by ESW.
The water authority said it had co-operated fully in an extremely thorough investigation of a parasitic complaint in that area.
They said there was no evidence of the parasite giardia being present at any time and this had been independently substantiated.
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