Water firms in England and Wales ‘leak five times what hosepipe ban would save’

Greenpeace UK says 2.87bn litres lost daily, a fifth of all water pumped through network

Water companies are wasting five times more water through leaky pipes than even a nationwide hosepipe ban could save, environmental campaigners say.

Research by Greenpeace UK found that 2.87bn litres of water a day seep from leaky pipes in England and Wales. That is enough to fill 1,150 Olympic-sized swimming pools and amounts to a fifth of all water pumped through the network.

By comparison, according to an analysis of figures obtained from Ofwat, the water industry regulator, a network-wide hosepipe ban would save 4% of water, which is about 577m litres a day.

Greenpeace’s analysis comes as water companies place millions of people in south and south-east England under “temporary use bans”. The orders make using a hosepipe a criminal offence with a potential penalty of £1,000.

Water companies have reported increased demand during this summer’s record heatwaves, while the high temperatures and lack of rain have left reservoir levels below their long-term averages and with “river flows and groundwater levels continuing to decline at nearly all sites”, according to the Environment Agency.

Greenpeace’s analysis highlights how the UK’s water industry is unable to make the most of the reserves of water. Privatised in the 1980s, it has faced widespread criticism for prioritising shareholders’ dividends over investing in critical infrastructure.

It is more than three decades since a major new reservoir was built in England and Wales, although several are now in the planning stage. The government’s climate advisers said in May that droughts would become much more frequent, intense and widespread. According to the Climate Change Committee, England faces a potential water-supply shortfall of more than 5bn litres a day by the mid-2050s.

Water companies, Ofwat, the Environment Agency, the Met Office and Natural Resources Wales announced a publicity campaign in June to encourage people to use less water. Water use in England and Wales is among the highest in Europe.

Greenpeace UK’s chief scientist, Doug Parr, said: “Of course people should use water carefully during prolonged hot and dry weather. But it’s galling to be told to put away the hose while water companies are losing nearly 3bn litres every day through leaks.

“Fossil-fuelled climate change is making severe droughts more frequent and more dangerous, so ministers must not treat water security as tomorrow’s problem.”

Water UK, the industry’s trade association, said: “Water companies have cut leakage by around 40% since privatisation and plan to reduce it by a further 17% by 2030.

“Some parts of the country are seeing demand for water rise by more than a third. As this third heatwave of the year continues, water companies are working round the clock fixing leaks, moving water across regions and running treatment works flat out to keep supplies flowing, and we’d urge all customers to use water wisely.”