London's water supply under threat

12.00.00am GMT Wed 19th Nov 2003

Cllr Laura Willoughby, Parliamentary spokesperson for Islington North, has discovered that Thames Water has the highest level of water leakage in the UK - enough to fill 300 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day. Since privatisation, the rest of the country has been gradually improving its water leakage figures while Thames Waterís have actually worsened since 2000. This comes after Cllr Willoughby investigated a number of leaks in her North Islington patch. "There were three leaks on Paroles Road in Archway one week - Residents assured me they had not asked for a water feature, and were concerned at the damage the leaks were doing to the road and their homes. One large leak had been reported several times and was gushing still after three weeks. " Laura's intervention got this leak fixed but there are still further leaks on this road, Cressida Road, Crouch Hill and other places in the borough. "The water board are just not responding quick enough - leaks like this affect the road surface and the foundations of people's homes, now we find this is a situation that is a problem across London and it is getting worse." These startling figures add a new sense of urgency after the motion that the council fully supported last week calling for Thames Water to take more speedier action. Its full report can be seen at www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/pubserv.jsp <http://www.london.gov.uk/assembly/reports/pubserv.jsp>