Leaks

From January to March, more than 1,500 leaks and burst pipes were repaired following a prolonged period of sub-zero temperatures. Engineering and inspection teams were placed on 24/7 alert and all available resources were focused on completing repairs as quickly as possible.

Operations Director Stephen Bird said: "Parts of our region experienced some of the coldest temperatures on record and the resulting rise in leakage was unprecedented. The severe weather also made proactive leak detection work very difficult.

"However, our staff and partners responded wonderfully and worked exceptionally hard to maintain our customers' reliable water supplies by making themselves available for duty on days off and outside normal working hours.

"We are recognised by water industry regulator Ofwat as an industry leader on leakage, which is testament to the year-round efforts of our staff."

More than £7.5 million is being spent on maintaining South West Water's leakage record this year with the aim of fixing bursts within 24 hours and significant leaks within three days.

Notes to editors

• Measured on number of litres lost per day per kilometre of pipe, South West Water has one of the best records in the industry
• The annual Ofwat target for leakage is not to exceed 84 Megalitre's per day, including any water lost from customers' own pipes.

Published: 25 June 2010

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