For heaven's sake just fix the leaks! As water chiefs sound alarm during driest spell in 60 years, shock figures show 450 million litres are lost via burst pipes every day

Daily Mail​

16-05-2025

Scottish Water has been slammed after it emerged it is losing hundreds of millions of litres through leaks every day.
The quango warned Scots this week to conserve water, advising people to take shorter showers and avoid using hoses as Scotland endures its driest period in 60 years.
But its own figures show it lost 454 million litres of water a day – equivalent to 181 Olympic-sized swimming pools – in the past year because of leaky pipes.
Scottish Water has also been criticised for the pay and perks enjoyed by its highest-ranking bosses.
Douglas Lumsden, Scottish Conservative energy and net zero spokesman, said: 'Highly paid bosses at this SNP quango should be leading by example. Given the current weather, people need to follow their advice to save water.
However, Scottish Water cannot expect Scots to cut down given they are losing the equivalent of nearly 200 swimming pools each day, which people will see as completely hypocritical.
'This advice will also have a major impact on our farmers who rely on water for crop production and to do their jobs.
'Scots will be hoping that their efforts to cut down water wastage will prove more fruitful as this spell of good weather continues.'
Average reservoir levels are at 81 per cent – 10 per cent lower than usual for this time of year.
Rainfall for May so far has also been lower than average across most of the country, with dry, sunny conditions expected to continue until at least Thursday.
As part of the wide-ranging advice on its website, Scottish Water suggests people take buckets into the shower with them to catch water while they wash and use this for their garden.
Scottish Liberal Democrat leader Alex Cole-Hamilton said: 'Being told to reduce water consumption will be hard for people to swallow when Scottish Water have failed to fix underlying problems and leaky pipes.'
He said Scottish Water can find money for bonuses for its bosses 'but still aren't on top of sewage dumps or faulty infrastructure'.
Scottish Labour deputy leader Jackie Baillie said the quango must do more 'to reassure people that it is getting its own house in order' and to show 'it is operating transparently, fairly and in the public interest'.
Scottish Water said it has reduced the amount of water being lost over the long-term but admitted it is still one of its 'most important operational issues'.
A spokesman added: 'We work hard every day to find and fix leakage. A large proportion of the leaks we now have are small in size and nature, so harder to find and fix, and we are deploying a range of approaches and innovations to hunt them down.
'About a quarter of leakage is from pipework within home owners' gardens and under driveways. We will support home owners to resolve these problems when identified.'
In addition to being criticised for its leaks, Scottish Water was ordered in 2023 to carry out an emergency clean-up of tap water supplies after they were found to pose a 'potential danger to human health'.
The Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland served an enforcement notice after finding an alarming backlog of maintenance work.
The watchdog intervened following a series of alerts, including one in which animal remains were found at the bottom of a tank supplying thousands of home in Ayrshire.
Responding at the time, Scottish Water said it had actions in place to address the issues raised 'in the fastest possible time'.
Meanwhile, Surfers Against Sewage will hold protests at various locations today to raise the issue of sewage spills and its frustration over Scottish Water's work on the issue.
Data it has gathered shows there were 3,498 monitored spills in Scotland's waters last year.
The charity said that due to Scottish Water only monitoring a small fraction of the sewage network, the actual number of spillages is likely to be far higher than the figures reported.
A spokesman for Scottish Water said: 'At an average cost of circa £25,000 per monitor it's important we use public money wisely, with investment focused on areas where monitors could have the biggest environmental impact.
'Independent regulator Sepa rates 87 per cent of Scotland's water environment as either good or excellent.'
It comes as Scotland's heatwave is set to continue next week – with little sign of rain until the weekend.
Alex Plant, Chief Executive
Mr Plant, 55, raked in an eyewatering £483,000 pay package last year.
As well as a £246,000 salary and £87,000 bonus, there were pension contributions of £67,000 and £83,000 of benefits. That included a one-off £73,000 payment made to Mr Plant – who had previously been director of strategy and regulation at Anglian Water – to relocate to Edinburgh.
A graduate of Nottingham University, he held roles at Cambridgeshire County Council, the Civil Aviation Authority, HM Treasury and the Inland Revenue before joining the water sector.
Peter Farrer, Chief Operating Officer
Mr Farrer, 63, who was appointed in 2013, pocketed £270,000 in pay and perks last year, according to Scottish Water's 2023-24 annual report.
A chartered civil engineer, he has worked as Scottish Water's customer service delivery director, general manager of asset planning and business performance and general manager of operations. In a 39-year career in the sector, he held operational and engineering roles at Scottish Water's predecessors, East of Scotland Water and Lothian Water and Drainage.
When his staff downed tools last month after rejecting a 3.4 per cent pay rise, Mr Farrer, insisted the company's offer was 'fair and progressive'.
Alan Dingwall Chief Financial Officer
Mr Dingwall, 51, joined Scottish Water in June last year on a £215,000 salary following a ten-year stint at public services provider Serco.
After graduating in 1995 in economics and finance from the University of Strathclyde, he joined the executive management programme at Oxford University's Said Business School before working at board level in executive positions and as a non-executive director.
On his LinkedIn page, Mr Dingwall states: 'Integrity and personal commitment are important to me and provide the motivation to make a difference.'