Water companies come under fire
Two major water providers have come under fire from the industry regulator for failing to meet targets on cutting leaks.
Ofwat revealed that Thames Water is losing 915 million litres a day and is missing targets for the third year running, while it also raised concerns about United Utilities, which supplies the north-west of England.
However, figures from the watchdog reveal that overall there has been a reduction in leakage in the UK water system. The past decade has seen leakage levels reduce by one third as water suppliers continue to invest and upgrade infrastructure.
It is hoped the industry’s plans to replace a number of mains water sites will eventually lead to a saving of about 300 million litres per day by 2010 – enough to supply two million people.
And a further £1.3 billion is expected to be spent over the coming years to continue the replacement of failing pipelines and improve water security throughout the system.
However, consumer body WaterVoice warned against blaming leakages for the current water shortage in the south of England and said companies should also be investing in making customers aware of what they could do to save water.
“Leakage is simply one contributory factor on which water companies need to work,” said WaterVoice chairman Maurice Terry.
“Customers must be given proper advice on how to use water efficiently and sensibly, and additionally the role of water metering in conserving resources also needs to be critically assessed. All households and businesses should use water wisely.”
The Environment Agency added that companies may have to impose restrictions on consumers’ water use if the hot summer weather continues.
“We believe [water companies] must take adequate and prudent steps sooner rather than later in order to reduce more far reaching risks to public water supply if the drought continues, and to avoid any unnecessary impact on the environment,” said chief executive Barbara Young.
