Switched off

FIFTEEN years ago, the idea that Britain's utilities might not only be privately owned but also compete for the privilege of serving their customers was regarded as the fanciful rambling of a few eccentric economists. Not any more. Businesses have long been able to shop around for telecoms, electricity and gas; for the biggest, there is even some competition in water supply. In the home, Britons have a job to keep track of all the price-busting offers from BT, still the dominant telecoms firm, and cable-TV companies trying to lure them away. In some areas, householders are besieged by competing gas suppliers. And some rail travellers can now be delayed by a train company of their own choosing.