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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Environment
Damien Gayle

Water firms in England and Wales ‘leak five times what hosepipe ban would save’

A hosepipe rests on the parched earth of a private garden
Even a nationwide hosepipe ban would only save 577m litres a day, according to analysis of figures from Ofwat. Photograph: Hugh R Hastings/Getty Images

Water companies are wasting five times more water through leaky pipes than even a nationwide hosepipe ban could save, environmental campaigners say.

Research by Greenpeace UK found that 2.87bn litres of water a day seep from leaky pipes in England and Wales. That is enough to fill 1,150 Olympic-sized swimming pools and amounts to a fifth of all water pumped through the network.

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