The Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham, Clive Jones, has said it’s “time for Ofwat to go” as new stats paint a sorry picture about just how much water is wasted every day because of leaky pipes.
An average of 3 billion litres of water is wasted every day in England and Wales (between 2020/21-2022/23) due to leaky pipes, House of Commons Library research commissioned by the Liberal Democrats has revealed.
This is the equivalent of 1,200 Olympic sized swimming pools of water being lost every day due to leakages in England and Wales.
Approximately 591.9 million litres is lost every day because of these leakages caused by Thames Water.
The data also reveals the impact this is having on households across England and Wales. On average, a total of 146 litres is leaked per property served by Thames Water every day.
The Liberal Democrats have calculated these water leaks are costing customers in England and Wales approximately £396 million per year in total.
The Liberal Democrats are calling for the government to abolish Ofwat in favour of a new regulator with real power to hold water companies accountable, protecting customers and the environment. The party has also called on the government to implement a single social water tariff to protect the most vulnerable customers from excessive bill increases, and for bonuses to water bosses of these failing companies to be banned.
Liberal Democrat MP for Wokingham, Clive Jones said:
“It’s scandalous that Thames Water are allowing millions of litres of water to be wasted every year, all while customers pay the price with unfairly high bills.
“The Government cannot just sit idly by whilst water companies exploit the system. It’s time for Ofwat to go and be replaced with a regulator that can hold these polluting companies accountable.
“I, and my Liberal Democrats colleagues, will continue to stand with customers who have been taken for granted by water companies for far too long.”
