section_path: Economy/Water supply and sanitation
section_name: Water supply and sanitation
paragraph_text: Water supply and sanitation
  
  Access to improved water supply and sanitation in the UK is universal. It is estimated that 96 per cent of households are connected to the sewer network. According to the Environment Agency, total water abstraction for public water supply in the UK was 16,406 megalitres per day in 2007.
  
  In England and Wales water and sewerage services are provided by 10 private regional water and sewerage companies and 13 mostly smaller private "water only" companies. In Scotland, water and sewerage services are provided by a single public company, Scottish Water. In Northern Ireland water and sewerage services are also provided by a single public entity, Northern Ireland Water.