Water efficiency must become national priority says EA
Source: gov.uk (2025-11-18)

Environment Agency urges water companies to speed up fixing of leaks

England cannot continue to take water for granted, the Environment Agency has warned in a new report examining the country’s latest water usage.

While world leaders conclude climate talks in Brazil, the regulator has said achieving greater water efficiency at home must become a national priority – particularly during the current drought.

The EA has said the current amount taken out of rivers, lakes and groundwaters is not sustainable. It has called on everyone, including water companies, regulators, and consumers to play their part to use our water wisely.

The Environment Act set an ambitious target to reduce the use of public water supply per person by 20% by the end of March 2038 to protect the environment and secure drinking supplies.

So far about a quarter of that reduction has been achieved. The EA has called for a fast rollout of millions of smart meters to help people understand their water use – and reduce their water bills.

It has also said the work done by water companies to help consumers use less water during this year’s drought must continue – as well as more work to cut leakage.

Helen Wakeham, EA Director of Water, said:

Climate change and population growth are putting a tremendous strain on resources and this year’s drought is a stark reminder that we all need to be more mindful of our consumption.

There is reason for optimism – we have the knowledge and technology to act on leakage and find new sources of water.

But the next few years are critical. We need a concerted effort by water companies, regulators, the government, and society at large to work together to protect this precious resource.

The warnings come as part of the EA’s annual review of Water Resource Management Plans – analysing documents produced annually by each water company as part of their obligation to secure water supplies for the future.

The review looked at various metrics - such as demand, leakage, and metering - across the 24/25 financial year, which is immediately before the current drought took hold.

The key findings:

CONSUMPTION: Average daily water use per person is 136.5 litres. This is a slight decrease from the previous year but is still more than water companies would have expected and puts avoidable pressure on the environment.
- METERS: In 2024–2025, over 62% of households in England are billed based on how much water they use. In total around 12% of homes have smart water meters, which allow customers to understand their real time usage and helps water companies to pinpoint leaks in the system. There are substantial differences in rollout rates across the country.
LEAKAGE: Leakage levels are at their lowest for 20 years. However, the amount lost by water companies before reaching customers’ taps is still too high at around 19%. The industry has committed to reducing leakage by half by 2050, compared to 2017/18 levels.

SUPPLY SCHEMES: Timely delivery of water supply schemes, such as new reservoirs, is essential for delivering growth and preventing environmental harm.
- ABSTRACTION: Water companies abstracted slightly less water than the previous year – 14,636 mega litres per day (million litres per day) from the environment compared to 14,664 mega litres per day in 2023-24. This is less than companies abstracted 20 years ago in 2005 at 15,012 mega litres per day.
Detailed letters are being sent to water companies jointly from the EA, Ofwat and Defra setting out the actions they need to take next on water security.

Water Minister Emma Hardy said:

We face growing pressures on our water and, with a changing climate, we will see more frequent droughts.

We are driving long-term change in the water industry, with £104billion of private investment. This will help the building of nine new reservoirs and replace broken pipes to reduce unnecessary leakages.

Saving water benefits everyone. It reduces both water and energy bills whilst leaving more water in the environment to help reduce the risk of future drought.

The report concludes that this current financial year will be critical for the sector, with bill rises coming into effect.

As well as investing in new pipes to cut leakage, the industry has committed to building nine new reservoirs before 2050, alongside other new supply schemes.

The weekend saw heavy rainfall and flooding as Storm Claudia battered many parts of the country. But many areas are still in drought following record-low rainfall this year, with the EA warning of potentially worsening conditions (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/report-warns-of-widespread-drought-in-2026-without-a-wet-winter) next year.

The regulator has again called on water companies to maintain the intensity of their drought planning and learn from past challenges.

In the meantime, the government is making progress on introducing mandatory water efficiency labelling in white goods, such as washing machines. Proposals to improve the water efficiency standards in new buildings are also out for consultation.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The report can be found here: Water resources 2024-2025: analysis of the water industry’s annual water resources performance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-resources-2024-2025-analysis-of-the-water-industrys-annual-water-resources-performance)

KEY STATS FROM THE REPORT:

CONSUMPTION: England average 136.5 litres per person per day. Best performer Cambridge Water (120l/p/d) Worst performer: Portsmouth Water (160l/p/d)

METERS: England average over 62% households on a measured tariff. Best performer: South East Water (88.6%) Worst performer: Portsmouth Water (37.8%)

SMART METERS: England average 12% of households. Best performer: Anglian Water (47.7%). Worst performer: Six companies have no customers on a smart meter – SES Water, United Utilities, Wessex Water, South East Water, Southern Water, Bristol Water.

LEAKAGE: Company average: 19% of water put into distribution leaks out of the pipes. Best performer: Essex and Suffolk Water (11.8%). Worst performer: Thames Water (22.5 %)

REGULAR WATER USE:

Toilet - 4-6 litres per flush for dual flush toilets, up to 13 litres per flush for older models.

Shower - 10-15 litres per minute for standard, 6 litres per minute for lower flow.

Bath - 80 litres

Washing machine - 50 litres for normal load, 35 litres eco load;

Dishwasher - 14 litres per cycle, 10 litres per cycle on eco setting

Washing up - 9 litres per min from a running tap, 8 litres per washing up bowl

Car wash - 300 litres per hose pipe use, 30 litres per bucket wash

REDUCTION TARGETS:
- Under the Environment Act 2021, an ambitious target has been set to reduce the use of public water supply in England per head of population by 20% by 31st March 2038 from a 2019 to 2020 baseline. Reported data in 24/25 reflects a 5.1% reduction thus far.
- In 2019/20, the average usage was 140 litres per person per day. The targets are to reduce to 122 litres per person per day by March 2038. There is a long-term reduction to 110 litres per person per day by 2050.
- Water companies are aiming to deliver approximately 10.4 million smart meters over the 2025-30 price review, which will be the biggest rollout to date.
DROUGHT:
- This spring was the driest in 132 years. This summer is the hottest since records began in 1884, with four heatwaves.
- From January 1st to October 31st, England saw 83% of its long-term average rainfall.
- In August, the National Drought Group declared a “nationally significant water shortfall” in England.
- Places are currently in drought – Yorkshire, East Midlands, West Midlands and parts of Sussex and Kent.
- Areas in drought recovery – Cumbria and Lancashire, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire.
- Places in prolonged dry weather (the phase before drought) - North east, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, East Anglia, Thames, Wessex, Solent and South Downs.
- The remaining areas are normal - Hertfordshire, London, Kent, Devon and Cornwall.
- Over the summer, the Canal & River Trust shut 20% of its network due to lack of water.
- Farmers’ harvests were impacted and there are concerns heading into winter on feed availability for livestock due to poor grass growth over the spring and summer.
- The dry weather has impacted the breeding success of wetland birds, great crested newts, natterjack toads and the migration patterns of eels and salmon. It has also led to trees, including ancient ones, becoming severely stressed.
- Eight million people are still under hosepipe bans across Yorkshire, Thames Valley, Sussex, and Kent.
- Total reservoir stocks across England for the period ending 11 November were 69.9%. The average for this time of year is 78.5%.
- Water is finite and there are competing demands between public use, businesses, agriculture, and the environment.
- In dry weather, water still needs to be abstracted from rivers, reservoirs, and groundwater and a drought is only over when these levels are fully replenished. This can take months – sometimes years.
AUTUMN / WINTER WATER SAVING TIPS:
- Opt for a low-flow shower head: These use around 6 litres per minute, compared to a standard shower head, which uses 10-15 litres per minute. Over a 10-minute shower, that’s a saving of up to 90 litres of water.
- If you don’t have a dual flush, get a Cistern Displacement Device (CDD) from your water company: This simple tool can reduce each toilet flush by at least 1 litre and is often available for free from water companies. Find out more on your water company’s website
- In the kitchen avoid pre-rinsing dishes – scrape them instead, as modern detergents are designed to work effectively without extra rinsing and use a washing-up bowl to catch excess water -this can reduce wastage by up to 50%.
- Fill your washing machine to its recommended load size for the most efficient use of water.
- In the garden, use a watering can rather than a hose or sprinkler. Only water the plant root zone to avoid wasting water where the plant won’t need it. Check the weather forecast – if rain is due then hold off on watering.
- Know your house plants and how much water they really need during cooler winter months – make an effort not to over water.