Hosepipe bans are a more realistic solution to drought than a national network pumping water from wet parts of the country to the driest, Britain's largest listed water business has claimed. The Government is to publish a White Paper looking at how to restructure the industry. One idea is allowing water to be traded more easily between regions, which would enable the UK to cope better with climate change as the country experiences more extreme weather. Water trading would also boost competition as it would allow new entrants into the market to supply larger customers, the Government says. The biggest water companies enjoy virtual monopolies in their regions, where they are the principal supplier. But Steve Mogford, the chief executive of United Utilities, which owns North West Water, said that the advantages of a national pipeline network were "overblown" and would be too energy intensive. He added that hosepipe bans had been effective for his company. "Why do we need to be trading water in volume? We are supposed to not be using power. Water is so heavy. It uses a lot of power to pump. You have to think quite carefully about why ... you need to do trading and for how long. "We had pretty dry months here recently. We dealt with the issue with a hosepipe ban. The water trading issue is overblown." He also warned that