§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much loss of water in the distribution system is due to worn-out infrastructure; what action and what financial investment has been put in in each of the last 10 years to update this; and what total investment would be necessary to update it completely.
§ Mr. GowLeakage from water mains is affected by many factors and its reduction is largely a matter of revenue spending. However, in their annual plans, water authorities propose investing nearly £100 million per annum in maintaining water supply systems, including treatment works. Comparable figures for the last 10 years are not available. Further work is needed to establish how much investment is required to overcome dereliction in water mains including the removal of incrustation from pipes and the remedying of corrosion.
§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how much water has been lost between the reservoir and the point of service in England in each of the last 10 years; what action has been taken to reduce this; what has been the effect of this action; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. GowIt was estimated by my Department and by the National Water Council in 1980 that on average 24 per cent. of water put into supply was unaccounted for mostly due to leakage. Water undertakers follow a nationally-agreed procedure for determining the method of leakage control appropriate to their respective systems and arriving at the economic level of manpower and financial resources required.