Leaky Thames Water Need To Take Responsibility

Councillor Roger Crouch and Assembly Member Gareth Roberts blast Thames Water for hosepipe ban as figures reveal they lost 569 million litres of water per day due to leaks last year.

With the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales declaring a drought in 8 areas of England and Wales and 7 others facing “prolonged dry weather”, including Hounslow under a hosepipe ban, Hounslow Liberal Democrats have called out Thames Water over figures recently analysed by the party which show they lost 569 million litres of water due to leaks in 2024/2025. That’s the equivalent of 228 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day.

As a hosepipe ban continues for residents in Hounslow, Councillor Roger Crouch has called on Thames Water to “urgently get its house in order” by fixing the leaky infrastructure rather than simply imposing hosepipe bans on their customers.

Thames Water’s failings come on top of persistent sewage dumping into the River Thames including at Isleworth and pollutant levels which fall short of expected standards.

As the climate continues to change, and heatwaves become commonplace, Cllr Crouch has demanded the Government include measures to reduce leaks in the upcoming Water (Special Measures) Bill. With 569 million litres of water (83,089 Olympic-sized swimming pools) lost due to leaks by Thames Water last year, tackling leaks would go a long way in improving the resilience of the water sector, and helping to mitigate future shortages.

Thames Water’s leaks for 2024-2025 are equivalent to 98 litres of water per customer, per day. That’s enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 228 times over. 

Gareth Roberts, Hounslow’s London Assembly member, said:

“Liberal Democrats consistently called for better regulation of Hounslow’s water industry, and this revelation from data analysed by the House of Commons Library and the Liberal Democrats has only reinforced their calls.”

Roger Crouch, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Isleworth, added:

“Thames Water have got away with their grossly negligent handling of our water infrastructure for far too long - now these figures prove it. Thames Water needs to urgently get its house in order.

“Whilst residents in Hounslow have to face a hosepipe ban, Thames Water are taking them for a ride. Thames Water 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, to hold Thames Water to account for its persistent failures. Under the mutual model of ownership that we are calling for, infrastructure investment would be a priority for water companies, with bills reinvested into stopping leaks and preventing sewage dumping.”