To what or not to what?

Unobtrusively, ineluctably and relentlessly a certain horrifying usage of English has crept up on us, here in South Africa but also in the UK. I'm not sure where it first gained coinage but it was always lurking in the shadows. For decades it had made sporadic appearances only thankfully to recede back within its confines. But now it is unleashed - instead of the exception it's becoming the rule. I'm referring to the howler: 'than what', as in 'this is much worse than what I thought it was'. You come across it in multiple guises: another example: 'analysts were surprised by the company's earnings guidance which was much higher than what management had indicated last month'. Whenever I hear that intrusive 'what' I scream silently, no please, not another one. Every time another 'what' is uttered, universal usage is tipped another notch in its favour. Soon it will be deemed wrong not to 'what'. Language police will pounce on offenders. Non-whatters will be ridiculed for their ignorance. 'Than what' is in the same category as 'as well' where the accent is on the 'as', not the 'well'. Only, 'than what' is far more widespread and gathering steam. In fact it appears to have taken over. Another travesty that appears to be gaining momentum is the use of 'desert' instead of 'dessert' in restaurants. Suddenly it's all over the place. Or maybe, its all over the place? It's not that I'm advocating a reversion to Fowler's A Dictionary of Modern English Usage (published 1926) or anything but really, you just don't need the 'what', it's superflouous. The QSL is from BBC Radio Kent, heard in London in 1996. Note the lovely oast house logo on the letter. Henry Watson Fowler was born in Kent.