As the Isle of Wight's hosepipe ban rumbles on, it's been revealed a staggering 86 million litres of water has been wasted so far this year because of leaks or bursts in Southern Water's Island supply network — enough to fill over one million baths.
From the start of May to August 11 2022, there were more than 600 burst mains or leaks across the Island.
July, the month before a hosepipe ban was introduced, saw the most leaks (163) and bursts (31) to date — with more than 31 million litres of water lost.
An Environmental Information Request submitted by Isle of Wight Radio also found a 37 per cent rise in 'urgent excavations' — or immediate repairs — when compared with the same period three years ago.
The findings come two months after the utility firm imposed a hosepipe ban, at the time blaming "one of the driest years on record" for low water levels.
However, Isle of Wight Radio can now reveal that, by that point, a shocking 86,370,000 litres of water had been lost because of leaks or bursts in the network.
Commenting on the latest figures, the utility firm blamed the rise in the number of bursts, leaks and repairs on "an increase in demand for water", as well as soaring temperatures.
A spokesperson for Southern Water said:
"Despite all our best efforts, we have seen a slight increase in leakage and urgent excavations in 2022. This is largely due to the significant rises in temperature and associated dry weather during this period.
"The increased demand for water, combined with the impact of the heat on the pipes themselves and surrounding earth, results in more bursts.
"We expect these figures to reduce as our leakage teams continue to carry out repairs and temperatures reduce into the autumn."
In total there were 521 leaks, 19 customer leaks and 77 bursts between May and August.
While July saw the highest number of call-outs, June saw the lowest — with 137 leaks and 13 burst mains. More than 19 million litres of water was lost in that month.
From August 1 up to August 11 a total of 88 leaks and 18 bursts contributed to over 12 million litres of water being lost.
And May saw more than 23 million litres of water wasted thanks to 152 leaks and 15 bursts.
Whether it be for bursts or leaks, the places with the most call-outs on the Island were Newport and Cowes.
Southern Water has already come in for heavy criticism this year. On numerous occasions, the company has been accused of discharging raw sewage into the coast around the Island.
Yesterday (Monday) it was announced it would be fined £28.3 million for missing targets on things like supply interruptions, pollution, and sewer flooding.
Regulator Ofwat has ordered the firm — and 10 others — to take millions off customers' water bills from next year.
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