Yes, and the way that they were privatised was markedly different to the railways. The failure point was subtly different (regulatory capture and incorrect powers to say "fuck off thats fraud")
I think the issue is that there you need infra to be at arms length, so that they can make long term decisions free of political interference. (for example can you imagine the noise if "rates" went up by as much as the water bills went up to fund the modernisation of the water system?)
But if you're at arms length, how can you have enough oversite to correct for regulatory capture (ofwat) or failure to build future proof infrastructure (defra). That requires industry experts, who are in government and are trusted to advise. It also require politicians who are willing to take such advice and evangelise it to a skeptical public.
I think the issue is that there you need infra to be at arms length, so that they can make long term decisions free of political interference. (for example can you imagine the noise if "rates" went up by as much as the water bills went up to fund the modernisation of the water system?)
But if you're at arms length, how can you have enough oversite to correct for regulatory capture (ofwat) or failure to build future proof infrastructure (defra). That requires industry experts, who are in government and are trusted to advise. It also require politicians who are willing to take such advice and evangelise it to a skeptical public.