Hosepipe ban water firms 'lose 1bn litres a day to leaks'

FOUR water companies which have introduced hosepipe bans are leaking enough each day to keep a hose running for 150 years.

- By Steph Spyro Environment Editor

Thames, Yorkshire, Southern and South East have all introduced the restrictions due to water shortages.

But between them they are losing 1.07 billion litres daily - enough to fill 400 Olympic-sized swimming pools through leaky pipes, analysis by the Liberal Democrats shows.

The party's environment spokesman Tim Farron said: "It is an absolute scandal that families are being told to limit their water use this summer while these failing water firms are letting over a billion litres a day go to waste.