Welsh Lib Dems blast Dwr Cymru as figures reveal they lost 234 million litres of water per day due to leaks last year

With Natural Resources Wales declaring a drought across the whole of Wales, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called out Dwr Cymru over figures recently analysed by the party which show they lost 85,000 million litres of water due to leaks in 2024/2025. That’s the equivalent of 94 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day. 

As the country continues to face prolonged drought, hosepipe bans in some areas and others being considered across more areas, David Chadwick MP has called on Dwr Cymru to “urgently get its house in order” by fixing the leaky infrastructure.

With Natural Resources Wales declaring a drought across all of Wales and some areas under a hosepipe ban or the threat of one, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have called out Hafren Dyfrdwy over figures recently analysed by the party which show they lost 5,400 million litres of water due to leaks in 2024/2025. That’s the equivalent of 6 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day. 

Hafren Dyfrdwy, the other water company in Wales which serves the North East, lost 5,400 million litres of water due to leaks in 2024/2025, the equivalent of 6 Olympic-sized swimming pools every day. 

As the climate continues to change, and heatwaves become commonplace, the Welsh Liberal Democrats have demanded the UK Government include measures to reduce leaks into the Water (Special Measures) Bill. 

With 85,000 million litres of water (34,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools) lost due to leaks by Dwr Cymru last year, tackling leaks would go a long way in improving the resilience of the water sector, and helping to mitigate future shortages. 

Dwr Cymru’s leaks for 2024-2025 are equivalent to 160 litres of water per customer, per day. That’s enough to fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool 94 times over. David Chadwick MP and the Welsh Liberal Democrats have consistently called for better regulation of Wales’ water industry, and this revelation from data analysed by the House of Commons Library and the Liberal Democrats has only reinforced their calls.

Commenting, Welsh Liberal Democrat Westminster Spokesperson David Chadwick MP said:

“Dwr Cymru have got away with their gross mishandling of our water infrastructure for far too long; now these figures prove it. Dwr Cymru needs to urgently get its house in order.

“Whilst people across Wales have had to face hosepipe bans or the threat of one, Dwr Cymru are taking them for a ride. Dwr Cymru must stop rewarding their unaccountable bosses with exorbitant bonuses and start investing in fixing their infrastructure so we can avoid this happening time after time.

“The Government must immediately replace Ofwat with a powerful new regulator in Wales, in order to hold Dwr Cymru to account for its persistent failures. It has been clear for years the current system is not working for our environment or customers.”

ENDS