We’ll cut leaks says water firm as 15 million litres lost every day

Hafren Dyfrdwy has reiterated that there are no water restrictions in place on its customers but has vowed to cut leakage after figures show that it loses on average 15 million litres every single day due to ailing infrastructure.

Our local water firm has tripled water bills in less than five years in a bid to raise £266 million that it hopes will reduce leakage by 24% by 2030 (from 2020).

They have invested heavily in the pipes system around Welshpool with major work also taking place in Montgomery, and it can’t come fast enough according to one local politician who has called them out.

Cllr Glyn Preston, the Llanidloes county councillor who stood for the Welsh Liberal Democrats at both the last UK and Welsh elections, highlighted the figures released by regulator, OfWat, that showed the water company lost the equivalent of six Olympic-sized swimming pools every day last year.

Cllr Preston said the Welsh Liberal Democrats have consistently called for better regulation of Wales’ water industry over the years, and have said this revelation from data analysed by the House of Commons Library and the Liberal Democrats has only reinforced their calls.

“Hafren Dyfrdwy have got away with their grossly negligent handling of our water infrastructure for far too long, now these figures prove it. Hafren Dyfrdwy needs to urgently get its house in order,” he said.

“Hafren Dyfrdwy must stop rewarding their unaccountable bosses with exorbitant bonuses and start investing in fixing their infrastructure so we can avoid this happening time after time.

“The Government must immediately replace Ofwat with a powerful new regulator, in order to hold Hafren Dyfrdwy to account for its persistent failures.” 

We put the claims to Hafren Dyfrdwy who said there was no hose pipe ban in place for their customers but added: “We’re absolutely committed to continue to drive down leakage and while we have seen improvements, we know there is more to do. Our £266m investment will support our target to reduce leakage by 24% by 2030 (from 2020), that we are on track to meet.

“This includes £8.2m to replace 11km of water pipes in Wrexham, reducing the risk of leaks and issues for customers while continuing to use innovative technology such as drones and ‘no dig’ technology to find and fix leaks faster.”