South West Water’s failure to fix leaks ‘putting customer supplies at risk’ — SkimNews
Get the Energy newsletter
Daily energy & climate — solar, EVs, oil, the policy fights and tech bets shaping the transition. Free.
- Ofwat and the Environment Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs warned South West Water in a 26 October joint letter that it has missed leakage-reduction and burst-pipe repair targets for seven years. The utility serves 1.8 million people and must submit a leak action plan within six weeks.
- South West Water leaks 113.5 million litres a day, equivalent to 45 Olympic swimming pools and 5.7 million litres more than last year; the joint letter puts leakage at 18.5% above forecast and says the upward trend poses a risk to customers’ security of supply.
- National Drought Group was preparing to meet Thursday with about 82% of England in drought, including severe drought in parts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex. The Met Office said 120% of typical rainfall was needed over seven months to bring England fully out of drought.
- Exeter and mid and east Devon are in an area where severe drought affects about 325,000 people and thousands of businesses; regular supply cut-offs over the coming weeks and months are linked to potential school closures and economic losses.
- Wimbleball reservoir held 16% storage and supplies South West Water customers in east and north Devon, Somerset and west Dorset, plus Wessex Water customers in west Somerset; regulators also expressed concerns about several smaller reservoirs serving homes in Devon and Cornwall.
- Richard Stanbrook, South West Water’s drought programme director, said recent rainfall was improving water resources and that the company was repairing leaks and moving water around its network, while pressure remained significant and sustained rainfall was needed for a lasting recovery.
- Julian Brazil, leader of Devon county council, said residents and businesses were told to save water because of dry weather, but criticized South West Water for failing to act on seven years of warnings; the company does not acknowledge the contribution its own leakage makes to supply risk.
Why it matters: South West Water’s customers now face a concrete accountability test: the 26 October joint letter requires a leak action plan within six weeks while the company serves 1.8 million people. Leakage 18.5% above forecast, supply risk for about 325,000 people, and the stated risks of school closures and environmental damage from emergency abstraction make this more than a drought appeal.
Ask SkimNews
