Spotting leaks at home can be a challenge as they are often hidden. In most cases an increase in your bill may be the first sign that there might be an issue.
Leaks don’t just have an impact on your pocket, they can cause damage to your appliances or even your home itself. Take a look at the information below on what to do if you spot a leak at home or while out and about.
What to do if there is a leak in your home
There are lots of reasons your internal pipe work can burst, especially during the winter when the weather is cold. If you've got a leak in your home, or on your land, it is your responsibility to get it fixed. Don't worry, there are a few simple steps you can follow.
#1 Open your meter chamber, remove the polystyrene on top of the meter and any surface water that may have collected in the chamber
#2 To help make sure you're looking at the correct water meter, turn your external stop tap off and turn on the tap inside the property. If no water comes out of your tap, this is your meter
#3 Turn the water back on at the meter and make a note of the meter reading
#4 Don't use any water for the next 30 minutes and then take a reading. If the reading has changed, this indicates water escaping from somewhere
#5 To help find out where and without using any water, turn the water off at the internal stop tap. Wait 30 minutes to an hour, then take another meter reading (a change in the reading could indicate water escaping externally). If there's no change at this step, it indicates water escaping internally
#6 If there's no change to your water meter reading during the above checks this means no water is escaping and there are no leaks.
#7 If you find a leak, contact a local plumber to repair it as soon as possible. We recommend WaterSafe – a one-stop shop which brings together thousands of qualified plumbers. Visit www.watersafe.org.uk(opens in a new tab) or call 0333 207 9030(opens in a new tab)
What to do if you spot a leak in the street
Spotted a leak while out and about? First check if we know about the leak. You can do this using our live map(opens in a new tab). If you can't see the leak marked on the map, chances are we don't know about it. Watch our short video below to find out how to report it to us.
If the leak is severe or you have a water emergency please call our 24/7 emergency line on 0333 000 0365(opens in a new tab)
Leak allowance
If you find and fix a leak in your property within 14 days, you might qualify for a leak allowance. This reduces your high bill to cover the cost of water you've lost through a leak. We don't think it's fair you pay for water that you haven't used. Instead, we want to reward you for getting the problem fixed.
You must be on a water meter to qualify, as we will assess the allowance by reviewing the meter readings obtained by your retailer. You will need to contact your water retailer with information about the leak and any supporting evidence of the repair. They will then make a request to us for a leak allowance, and once they have received an agreed amount from us they should then make the relevant adjustment to your bill.
A leak allowance for high consumption on market meters may be given:
· If the leak is fully repaired within 14 days of it being identified by the Customer or Retailer or notified to the Retailer by us.
· If no leak allowance has been previously applied to the current retailer for the same supply point.
· If the leak was not caused through the negligence of the non-household customer or the retailer or their contractor(s), agent(s) or representative(s).
· If the leak occurs on the section of supply pipe outside any building.
· If the meter is not an internal meter. If you qualify for a leak allowance, we will adjust your charges in respect of the period between the latest meter read which recorded the high consumption due to leakage (the “High Consumption Read”) and the previous meter read.
The adjustment will be based on a daily average consumption calculated over a period of:
· 12 months from the meter read prior to the High Consumption Read or
· At least six months from the meter read prior to the High Consumption Read where 12 months of data is not available provided that an estimated daily average consumption will be used instead where there is some abnormal consumption during any of the periods referred to above or data for less than six months is available
Our work to find and fix leaks
Our team of leak technicians work around the clock to make sure we're doing all we can to reduce and stop leakage. We're already among the top five water companies in the UK for our leakage performance, but we're always striving to do more. Click below to find out what we're doing.
