What will happen to leakage over the next five years under Ofwats current proposals?
Ofwat, the regulator that decides what we can charge customers, has told us we can’t raise bills at all over the next five years. That means we’ll have a lot less money to spend on replacing worn-out water mains. We want to replace 1,500km of pipe but Ofwat wants to cut this figure to less than 1,000km. This means we will not be able to reduce leakage between 2010 and 2015, and bursts pipes, which cause all sorts of inconvenience for customers and road-users, are likely to increase. We want Ofwat to allow us to do more mains replacement work because it’s really important that we reduce leakage, particularly in a region like London and the Thames Valley, where supply for water may not keep up with demand in future if we’re not careful. We want to hear your views on our five-year plan You can send your comments and feedback by emailing us at pricereview2009@thameswater.co.
