With 9,000 miles of water mains hidden underground to maintain, there are unfortunately times when these pipes fail.
Through our dedicated team of specialist leakage engineers, we are committed to proactively seeking out those pipes which are leaking unnoticed, while also acting on reports from customers who let us know when they spot an issue.
This outcome measures how many repairs have been made for each 1,000 kilometres of pipeline we operate, with our target for 2023/24 being fewer than 166.7 repairs.
If we underperform, we will receive a financial penalty.
How have we performed?
During 2023/24 we undertook 1,981 repairs on our network which equates to 131.2 repairs per 1,000 kilometres and below the target for the year.
This performance was driven by a number of factors, including:
- Continued targeted leakage activities including pressure reducing valve installations and pressure optimisation
- Continual review of air valve installation and operation.
- Targeted water main renewal projects.
- Pressure investigations to identify and remove sudden fluctuations which can cause bursts.
- Less extreme weather events and therefore less pressure on our existing mains
We will continue to undertake these activities to further improve our performance.