Water firms in England and Wales ‘leak five times what hosepipe ban would save’
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- Greenpeace UK found that water companies in England and Wales leak 2.87bn litres of water a day through pipes — roughly a fifth of all water pumped through the network, enough to fill 1,150 Olympic-sized swimming pools
- A nationwide hosepipe ban would save only 577m litres a day (4% of water), according to Ofwat data analysed by Greenpeace, meaning daily leakage wastes roughly five times what a ban would recover
- Water companies have placed millions of people in south and south-east England under "temporary use bans," with hosepipe use now a criminal offence carrying a potential £1,000 penalty
- The privatised UK water industry has not seen a major new reservoir built in more than three decades, and has faced widespread criticism for prioritising shareholder dividends over infrastructure investment
- Water UK, the industry's trade association, pushed back saying companies have cut leakage by around 40% since privatisation and plan a further 17% reduction by 2030, while blaming a more-than-third surge in demand
- The Climate Change Committee warned in May that England faces a potential water-supply shortfall of more than 5bn litres a day by the mid-2050s if droughts intensify as projected
- Greenpeace chief scientist Doug Parr said it is "galling" to be told to put away the hose while companies lose nearly 3bn litres daily through leaks, urging ministers not to treat water security as "tomorrow's problem"
Why it matters: With reservoir levels below long-term averages and river flows declining at nearly all sites, the data reframes the public debate: households face criminal penalties for minor water use while utilities lose five times that volume daily through crumbling infrastructure — exposing a privatisation-era investment gap that even the government's climate advisers say will leave England short by 5bn litres a day by mid-century.
