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Harrogate MP slams Yorkshire Water's 'leaky pipes' as wastage figures revealed

Tuesday, 22 April 2025 13:05

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon.

Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has slammed Yorkshire Water and "leaky pipes" after the latest water wastage stats were revealed.

An average of 115 litres of water is wasted per property every day due to leaky pipes, according to new figures.

And in response, Lib Dem MP Tom Gordon has said it’s “time for Ofwat to go”.

House of Commons Library research shows an average of 3 billion litres of water is wasted every day in England and Wales (between 2020/21-2022/23) due to leaky pipes.

Approximately 275.3 million litres is lost every day because of leakages caused by Yorkshire Water.

On average, a total of 113 litres is leaked per property served by Yorkshire Water every day.

The Liberal Democrats have calculated these water leaks are costing customers in England and Wales approximately £396 million per year in total.

Tom Gordon said:

“It’s scandalous that Yorkshire Water are allowing millions of litres of water to be wasted every year, all while customers pay the price with unfairly high bills.

“The government cannot just sit idly by whilst water companies exploit the system. It’s time for Ofwat to go, and be replaced with a regulator that can hold these polluting companies accountable.

“The Liberal Democrats and I will continue to stand with customers who have been taken for granted by water companies for far too long.”

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the government to abolish Ofwat in favour of a new regulator with “power to hold water companies accountable.”

The party has also called on the government to implement a single social water tariff to protect the most vulnerable customers from excessive bill increases, and for bonuses to water bosses of these failing companies to be banned.

It comes after a £371,000 bonus was paid to Yorkshire Water’s CEO Nicola Shaw in the last financial year.

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