Analysis of Water UK data from 2021 by the Angling Trust found that on average, water companies replace 0.05% of their pipe networks per year. Southern Water and Severn Trent are the slowest performers, each having an average replacement rate of 0.03% of their pipe network per year. Northumbrian and South West Water top the leaderboard, each replacing around 0.2% of their network each year. European averages show that most European countries replace their pipes at around 0.5% per year, giving each pipe an expected lifespan of around 200 years. Modern PVC pipes can last anywhere from 50 to 100 years depending on soil conditions and other factors. England’s damaged pipe network is one of the causes of huge volumes of water leaking every year, exacerbating droughts and leading to pipe bans. Water companies in England and Wales lost more than a trillion liters through leaking pipes last year, according to the latest industry figures. The industry and its financial regulator, Ofwat, say water companies lost an average of 2,923.8m liters of water per day in 2021-22, equivalent to 1.06tn liters over the year, although the Ofwat said the data remained provisional until the validation checks were completed. Water industry experts have blown the whistle on the poor state of the country’s pipe network, arguing that water companies are allowing sewers to collapse, leading to flooding, sewage to spill into rivers and sewage to seep into the ground causing health and safety problems. Martin Salter, head of policy at the Angling Trust, said: “Available data on sewer drain pipe replacement rates shows that the typical replacement/renewal rate in the UK is around 0.05% of the network per year. This means Ofwat and water companies expect sewers to last for 2,000 years – 10 times longer than the European average. Our growing concern in pollution situations like this is that any repairs to an already damaged network will last only a short time before the next fish and wildlife wipeout.” Bursting sewer pipes also harm wildlife and rivers by spilling raw sewage into waterways. Last weekend, a sewage spill believed to have been caused by faulty pipes in the River Rae near Swindon wiped out fish populations along a three-mile stretch of the Thames tributary. An initial survey by the Environment Agency’s fisheries team shows that most of the river, up to the junction with the main River Thames, has seen almost complete disappearance of fish and other invertebrate populations. Over 2,000 dead fish were counted in the sampling area, including walleye, pike and barbel. Salter added: “There are clearly some deep problems in the sewerage around Swindon which should have been fixed years ago. We have sought full incident reports from both Thames Water and the Environment Agency and have instructed lawyers to take what is necessary to secure the funds to restore the river and its wildlife. This would be in addition to any criminal prosecutions that must surely follow such serious pollution.” Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. A Thames Water spokesman said: “Protecting the environment is fundamental to what we do and we are sorry to say that pollution caused by a burst pipe near Haydon End sewage pumping station has caused a fish kill in the River Ray. We are working with the Environment Agency to make sure the river is back to normal as soon as possible. Diagram of sewage pipes “The broken sewer pipe has now been repaired and we will soon start moving our tankers, which were deployed so we could remove sewage while we were fixing the pipe, out of the area. “The pollution from the explosion has reached the confluence between the River Ray and the River Thames and we have put aeration cannons in the water to reduce any effects of the pollution. Our environmental scientists have found no evidence that pollution has caused environmental damage to the River Thames. They are carrying out further tests from the River Thames back to the source of the pollution so they can see how the river recovers.’ Water UK, the trade body representing water companies, has been contacted for comment on the pipe replacement.
