The UK is potentially wasting £697 million on water bills annually due to leaks within homes, amounting to 900 million litres of clean drinking water daily – equivalent to filling Wembley stadium, or supplying water to another one million people a week.

This is according to a new survey from Affinity Water, a water-only supplier, which has teamed up with property expert and TV presenter Sarah Beeny (pictured) to encourage the nation to identify leaks within the home and understand when it’s time to call in the experts to fix them.

The survey found that over two thirds (68%) of the nation have had a leak in their home, but the majority (55%) don’t know how to check their toilet or tanks for leaks, which are responsible for the biggest water loss.

One in five people leave home leaks for four weeks or more before getting them fixed. Almost one third (32%) of those with a leak have put off fixing it due to how much they think it will cost to repair them, while 33% had other home repair jobs they deemed more critical, and 28% didn’t know a reliable plumber to ask for help.

A separate independent poll of 250 plumbers found the top three home leaks plumbers tend to are pipes, toilets, and sink taps, and they fix 192 home leaks each on average, every year. The survey revealed that 93% of tradespeople agree that often a leak will get worse over time, while 83% of homeowners think leaks will just go away.

Seven in 10 plumbers say people who don’t contact them about a leak right away don’t think it’s that bad – and then it gets worse. 88% of plumbers have had to repair a leak which a customer has tried to repair themselves but couldn’t. 83% of those said the customer made the leak worse.

WaterWise data indicates a leak within the home could cost each household an extra £308.78 a year.

Affinity Water’s collaboration with Sarah Beeny aims to help people save water, save money and protect the environment by encouraging nation to identify leaks within the home and understand when it’s time to call in the experts to fix them.

James Curtis, head of leakage at Affinity Water explains: “Reducing leakage across our network is extremely important and critical in helping us to leave more water in the environment. We are working tirelessly to find and fix leaks across our network, and working with Government and the industry on how we can make the wider water infrastructure better. While we continue to take care of this, everyone can play their part to save water, save money on their bills, and together leave more water in the environment. We encourage everyone to find and fix their leaking taps, toilets, and pipes in their homes.”

Sarah Beeny comments: “Drips from a tap or the cistern on a loo don’t feel like much, but they all add up. The nation is wasting 900 million litres of clean water due to home leaks every day. That’s enough to supply water to one million people for a week. Every litre wasted matters. From leaky loos and faulty tanks to past their prime pipes, we can take small simple steps, which all add up to make a big difference to the volume of clean water currently being wasted. Let’s all work together to save this precious resource by taking on the leaks that can also cause damage in a home. Protect your home, your bank account, and protect your environment – it’s a win, win, win.” 

Affinity Water’s Top Five Tips on how to identify leaks in the home and when to call in the experts:

• Look out for damp patches, changes in water pressure, limescale build up, and changes to your plaster or wallpaper.
• If you have a water meter, turn off all water using appliances in the home, and check the meter to see if it is still moving. If the meter is moving, you may have a leak.
• Listen as well as look for signs when identifying a hidden leak. Noisy pipework, whether that’s in your tank or around your home, can be a sign. Try listening at night when your home is quiet.
• If you suspect a leak in your home, or have identified one, it’s important to get it sorted quickly. Don’t try fix it yourself if you don’t know how. Call in a plumber to make sure it’s fixed properly.
• If the leak is big, turn off the internal stop tap, which will stop water running within your home and prevent any further damage until the plumber arrives.

To understand your water footprint and find out how you can uncover leaks in your home visit https://www.affinitywater.co.uk/homeleaks