Southern Water achieves a reduction in record leaks through innovative technology and strategy

Southern Water celebrates a record year for LECKBBUSTING – thanks to the new technology on the streets and in the control room.

The old way of finding an undake water was to press the end of a rod onto the pipe and put the other end against the ear of a worker in order to feel the unique vibration of a burst.

24,000 acoustic sensors
No more – now 24,000 acoustic sensors are attached to the 15,500 km of our water network and send intelligence back to the control center. All problems are then sent to 90 teams from LEAKBUSTERS, which are on site throughout the region and are willing to determine these problems as soon as possible.

And this new way forward is a great success. Between April 2024 and April 2025, we reduced weekly leaks by more than 15%, from 108.1 million liters per day to 91.1 million liters per day – and saves 17 million liters a day to operate around 35,000 customers.

Proactive work saves 138.7 million liters per day
Overall, our proactive work saved a total of 138.7 million liters per day in these 12 months, which would otherwise have been lost through leak. This corresponds only to 107.7 million in the previous year – an increase of 28.8%, which is the greatest reduction in our history, and around a fifth of the average amount of water, which we brought into supply with 566 million liters per day.

Tim McMahon, our managing director of Water, said:

“Our teams in the region have worked incredibly – finding and fixing the leaks from large whistles far below the floor, which show no trace on the street. Thanks to the clever technology and new control systems, we can prevent pressure points, burst the water pipes and work as quickly as possible to react to any reported leak.”

Research into other innovative technologies
In addition to the use of acoustics who take on the treacherous hissing of a pipe and the gurgle of a full break, we also examine other innovative technologies to help forward.

We currently have around 160 employees who carry out activities to recognize LECKS either repair licks on site or work in the control room for planning, reporting and improvement in performance.

20,820 LECKS repaired
In total, the teams repaired 20,820 leaks in our network last year and 3,488 repairs to the customers' own pipes.

Preventing LECKS primarily is another challenge.

Tim explained

“We have our largest water water replacement program of all time, with 50 km older PVC pipes being replaced by the latest technology in 2025 alone.

“However, with more than 15,000 km network network, however, it has to be replaced carefully. Manage the pressure in pipes to prevent spikes can prevent the older networks from splitting and leaks preventing them – and preventing customers from losing pressure.

“I give my team a big sound of the back – but there is no round of victory or tea in the pavilion to do much more.”

News that are shared by Southern Water in their own words. Ed