Helen Maguire MP criticises Thames Water

Helen Maguire MP criticises Thames Water for hosepipe ban as figures reveal they lost 569.1 million litres of water per day due to leaks last year.

With the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales declaring a drought in 8 areas of England and Wales and 7 others facing “prolonged dry weather”, including Epsom & Ewell under a hosepipe ban, the Liberal Democrats have called out Thames Water over figures recently analysed by the party which show they lost 207,721.5 million litres of water due to leaks in 2024/2025. That’s the equivalent of 227.6 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day.

As a hosepipe ban continues for residents in Epsom & Ewell, Helen Maguire MP has called on Thames Water to “urgently get its house in order” by fixing the leaky infrastructure rather than simply imposing hosepipe bans on their customers.

Helen Maguire has consistently campaigned to hold Thames Water to account over sewage pollution and the health of local rivers, including the River Mole and Hogsmill. We know there is a climate crisis, yet Thames Water’s ageing infrastructure is still struggling to cope. Helen recently wrote to Thames Water bosses demanding a meeting to understand how they are preparing for increasingly extreme weather and what they are doing now to future-proof our water network.

As the climate continues to change, and heatwaves become commonplace, Helen Maguire has demanded the Government include measures to reduce leaks in the upcoming Water (Special Measures) Bill. With 207,721.5 million litres of water (83,088.6 Olympic-sized swimming pools)lost due to leaks by Thames Water last year, tackling leaks would go a long way in improving the resilience of the water sector, and helping to mitigate future shortages.

Thames Water’s leaks for 2024-2025 are equivalent to 97.9 litres of water per customer, per day. That’s enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 227.6 times over.

Helen Maguire MP has consistently called for better regulation of the water industry, and this revelation from data analysed by the House of Commons Library and the Liberal Democrats has only reinforced their calls.

Helen Maguire MP, Liberal Democrat MP for Epsom & Ewell, said:

“Thames Water needs to urgently get its house in order. They have got away with their negligent handling of our water infrastructure for far too long. It’s simply not good enough.

“Whilst residents in Epsom & Ewell have to face a hosepipe ban as well as continuing increasing bills, Thames Water continue to fail. Thames Water must stop rewarding their unaccountable bosses with bonuses and start investing in fixing their infrastructure so we can avoid this happening time after time.

“My office are getting complaints from residents who are understandably frustrated. This really does affect people’s everyday lives and is having a huge impact on local businesses and residents. Just the other day, Chessington World of Adventures had to close due to water leaks. This can’t continue. People deserve a reliable water supply, and Thames Water must start taking responsibility for the impact its failures are having.

“I’m calling on the Prime Minister to take this seriously. Government must immediately replace Ofwat with a powerful new regulator, in order to hold Thames Water to account for its persistent failures. Under the mutual model of ownership that we are calling for, infrastructure investment would be a priority for water companies, with bills reinvested into stopping leaks and preventing sewage dumping.”