Reading Lib Dems blast Thames Water for hosepipe ban as figures reveal they lost 569 million litres of water per day due to leaks last year

With the Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales having declared a drought in 8 areas of England and Wales and 7 others with “prolonged dry weather” over the summer, including Reading, which is still under a hosepipe ban, the Liberal Democrats in Reading have called out Thames Water over figures recently analysed by the party which show they lost 569 million litres of water due to leaks in 2024/2025. That’s the equivalent of 227 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day.

As a hosepipe ban continues for residents in Reading, local Lib Dems have 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.

Local Lib Dem Councillor James Moore has already successfully forced Thames Water to agree to appear before Councillors this year, after increased sewage being dumped into the Foudry Brook.

As the climate continues to change, and heatwaves become commonplace, Reading Lib Dems have demanded the Government include measures to reduce leaks in the upcoming Water (Special Measures) Bill. With 207721.5 million litres of water (83088.6 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 98 litres of water per customer, per day. That’s enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 17,800 times over. Reading Liberal Democrats have consistently called for better regulation of the area’s water industry, and this revelation from data analysed by the House of Commons Library and the Liberal Democrats has only reinforced their calls.

Reading Lib Dems' concerns come as Thames Water has been given the go-ahead to hike customer bills to fund infrastructure investment - despite losing 569 million litres of water a day to leaks last year. Residents already facing a hosepipe ban now face paying more, with no guarantee the extra money will go towards fixing the leaks driving the shortages in the first place. 

Ofwat has provisionally approved an extra £3.4bn in investment spending for five water companies, including Thames Water, to be funded through further bill rises between 2027 and 2030. National Liberal Democrat spokesperson Tim Farron has branded the regulator "a rubber stamp for failure" over the decision, accusing it of writing water companies another blank cheque. The frustration is sharpened by Thames Water's own recent results, which show profits climbing sharply even as customer complaints over rising bills surged past 55,000 in six months.

James Moore, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Tilehurst, said:

“Thames Water have got away with their grossly negligent handling of our water infrastructure for far too long - now these figures prove it. Thames Water needs to urgently get its house in order.

“Now Thames Water wants Reading residents to pay more too. Bill increases must come with a cast-iron guarantee that the money goes into fixing leaks and stopping sewage dumping - not into paying off debt or rewarding bosses who've presided over this failure.

“Whilst residents in Reading have to face a hosepipe ban, Thames Water are taking them for a ride. They must stop rewarding their unaccountable bosses with exorbitant bonuses and start investing in fixing their infrastructure so we can avoid this happening time after time.

“The Government must immediately replace Ofwat with a powerful new regulator 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.”