Sewage crisis: 21% of Yorkshire Water's supplies leaking before it gets to customers' taps

This is despite a commitment from the industry to halve leakage by 2050 and reduce it by 10 per cent from 2017-2018 levels.

It comes as Ofwat publishes its annual report into water company performance today, with sewage spills meaning no single river in England is deemed to be in good overall health.

Yorkshire Water has been one of the companies leading the way in terms of reducing leakage, with the EA stating it has been cut by 25 per cent compared to the previous year.

Director of water service delivery Dave Kaye said this was down to adding additional personnel to find and fix leaks and the use of new technology to “understand network performance”.

However, 21 per cent of the firm’s water is still being lost before it reaches customers’ taps across the region.

This is the fourth highest rate out of England’s 17 water companies across 2023-24 financial year, and equates to almost 48 litres per person per day.

Tom Gordon, the new MP for Harrogate and Knaresborough, said this was “concerning, although not surprising”.

The Liberal Democrat has been campaigning over the water quality in the River Nidd, activists found 10 times the normal levels of E.coli at Knaresborough Lido.

He told the Yorkshire Post: “Whilst it is good to hear that leakage has decreased, that is no excuse for leakage continuing to occur, particularly when the level is still above the national average.

“Since the Conservatives privatised water companies, we’ve seen massive debts pile up.

“At the same time, companies have spent years failing to properly invest in the infrastructure we need.

“Water companies have had years of being let off the hook by a toothless regulator and a Conservative government that didn’t seem interested in making polluters pay.

"Liberal Democrats have long called for action to tackle this scandal and while we’re seeing some change it must move further and faster.”

Alan Lovell, chair of the Environment Agency, said: “In the face of the enormous challenges on water resources, we have to tackle both sides of the equation – reducing demand and increasing supply.

“While we've seen some progress by companies, it's clear that more planning, resources and investment are needed, particularly on leakage.

“We expect water companies to accelerate their plans to increase water efficiency, reduce leakage and prepare for future droughts.”

Labour’s Water Minister Emma Hardy said the report “is a damning indictment of the sheer volume of water that is wasted by water companies across England”.

“As the climate crisis worsens and more pressure is placed on our water systems, we must fix our broken water infrastructure to ensure we have a resilient future water supply,” she said.

“We have taken immediate action to reset the water industry including introducing our new Water (Special Measures) Bill to strengthen regulation and give the water regulators sweeping new powers to hold companies accountable.

“We are also putting customers at the heart of our approach by doubling compensation when supplies are disrupted.”

Yorkshire Water is not one of the 10 companies set to receive a joint letter from the Environment Agency and fellow regulator Ofwat outlining specific failings and necessary actions for improvement.

Earlier in the year, Ofwat announced a £47 million fine for Yorkshire Water for a “catalogue of failures”.

It was also revealed that chief executive Nicola Shaw received a £371,000 annual bonus for 2023-24 financial year.

Mr Kaye said Yorkshire Water had “made great progress in continuing to reduce leakage over the last 12 months”.

He added: “However, we know there is more to do as we continue our aim to halve leakage again by 2050.

“We're installing 1.3 million smart meters in the next five years to help reduce leakage and are improving pressure management to balance demand.

“By renewing water mains across Yorkshire, but particularly in high leakage areas, we will continue our great progress on reducing bursts and cutting leakage."