Southern rated best water company for tackling leaks

Southern Water has been rated as the best in the country for tackling leaks, according to an industry watchdog.

It is the third year in a row that Southern has topped the table out of 21 water companies although the level of leaks in the local area rose slightly.

The Consumer Council for Water said: “On average, 121 litres of water is lost per property per day from leakage.

“This is almost as much as a full bath tub (80 litres) and a washing machine cycle (50 litres) in every house – or almost the same as the amount of water used by one person every day.

“This includes leaks on customers’ own supply pipes and internal plumbing.

“There is a huge range in the levels of leakage per property. Southern is currently the best performer on this basis reporting 80 litres.

“Conversely, Thames reported losses of 179 litres per day – over twice the amount reported by Southern.

“Leakage is a key concern for customers – and companies have made commitments to their customers and the regulator in relation to their leakage levels.

“But we question whether the rate that companies are reducing leakage is quick enough to fully meet their customers’ expectations.

“If customers do not see more progress on this issue, they are more likely to ignore company campaigns on water efficiency.”

Southern said: “Southern Water is delighted with our strong record on leakage which has just been identified as the best in the country by the independent consumer watchdog, the Consumer Council for Water, in their water supply and resilience report.

“While industry average leakage levels were 121.29 litres per property per day, our average was 79.80, according to the report – a saving of over 200 mugs of tea a day per household.

“We spend £14 million a year tracking down and fixing leaks with almost 100 teams working full time using technology including drones and sonic loggers.

“Other innovative measures include free home visits to help customers find leaks in their own homes which obviously costs customers money as well as wasting water.

“With continuing dry weather, protecting our precious water resources is more important than ever and we’re proud that our work on reducing leakage is playing a key role.”