These are private companies doing it, water was privatised in the UK
Something that was (and is) an infinitely larger public scandal than a few workers seeking a little bit of magical assistance in what can be a pretty frustrating job. Ftr this sort of thing is very common in this sort of industry, and not just in the UK and it's invariably something some workers just do themselves because they think it works. There's no evidence that it does any harm. Anyway, the initial story was amusing, but it all seems to have turned into tedious class-bashing.
