Waging war on leaks

The water company is preparing itself for another dry winter by stepping up its efforts over the coming months to repair even more bursts when pipes are more likely to crack.

Severn Trent Water employs around 160 leak detection staff and more than 100 repair gangs, all of whom will be working around the clock in a bid to fix as many suspect pipes as possible, many of which will not be visible from the naked eye.

Leakage manager Alan Payne said today: “We are stepping up are efforts to drive down leakage across the region, which is why we are employing more staff as the cold winter months begin to bite. We are not just talking about the big visible bursts which shoot water skywards either. Around 75 per cent of our leaks require a great deal of detection work as they are not visible to the naked eye.

“We are investing in high-tech detection equipment as well, which will assist us in plugging leaks faster than before.”

Mr Payne added that approximately 40 per cent of leaks reported to the company were from customer owned pipes. Whilst Severn Trent Water has no direct responsibility for maintaining these, workmen will make one straightforward repair free of charge.

“As our distribution system becomes older it deteriorates and leakage will rise so we are currently investing more than £40 million every year replacing old pipes. This involves renewing around five miles each week, which equates to 0.75 per cent of our network being modernised on an annual basis.

“We are also spending more money to find and repair leaks quicker. We spend nearly £25 million each year finding and fixing leaks.”

Severn Trent Water will continue to encourage its customers to conserve their water wherever possible. While the Midland based company imposed no restrictions during the summer, the message to urge people to cut out unnecessary wastage still remains.

Mr Payne said: “Customers are still being urged to insulate their pipes to reduce the risk of them freezing and bursting during the winter months and they can also play their part in the kitchen and bathroom by cutting out unnecessary wastage.”


Further information:
Severn Trent Water
2297 Coventry Road
Birmingham
NG5 1LE
England
Email: press.office@severntrent.co.uk
Web: www.stwater.co.uk