South West Water’s initiative to assist customers in Cornwall with identifying and repairing leaky toilets to reduce water wastage is now being expanded to include parts of Devon.
The water company recently piloted a program offering household customers in Cornwall up to £150 toward the repair of leaking toilets, and it is now broadening this offer to customers in certain areas of Devon.
It is estimated that approximately 5% of toilets have leaks, resulting in a leaky toilet wasting up to 400 litres of water daily. This amounts to about 16.5 million litres of water wasted each day across the region due to leaking toilets, which is enough to supply an average of 300 people for nearly a year.
Additionally, a leaky toilet could increase a metered customer’s water bill by up to £70 over the course of a year.
To help customers detect leaks in their toilets, South West Water has distributed Leaky Loo strips to over 550,000 customers in Cornwall and certain parts of Devon. These strips are placed under the rim of the toilet bowl and will dissolve or change color if they detect a small leak that may go unnoticed by the naked eye.
Once the customer has arranged for their toilet to be repaired, South West Water will reimburse up to £150 of the repair cost.
David Harris, South West Water’s Drought and Resilience Director, stated, “We’re making every effort to identify and repair leaks on our network more quickly than ever, and this is just one of the innovative ways we’re supporting customers in addressing their leaks as well. Repairs to customer toilets can not only help conserve precious water throughout the year, but also save money on their bill.”
South West Water is currently identifying and repairing more leaks than ever before, at a rate of around 2,000 per month. The company is employing innovative methods, such as satellites to detect water leaks two meters underground, drone pilots to cover challenging areas across Dartmoor and Exmoor, and detection dogs to find leaks in difficult terrain.
The water company is actively taking steps to help customers reduce water consumption, not only during the warmer months, through its Water is Precious campaign. It is working with customers year-round to make positive changes that will conserve water, manage demand, save money, and protect the environment.
Source :South West Water
