Yorkshire Water hits back at criticism from Sheffield politicians amid hosepipe row

Sheffield politicians fired at the water company for planning a hosepipe ban from August 26 for the first time in nearly three decades amid scorching temperatures and 34 percent less rain over recent months.

Politicians including local Labour and the Liberal Democrat councillors said the company should focus on fixing more leaks before imposing restrictions on residents.

Liberal Democrat Laura Gordon said: “Ministers are just letting water firms get away with scandal after scandal and residents in our area are sick of it. These are the very same water companies which pollute our local rivers with disgusting sewage, harming animals and people swimming in them.

“It is time someone stood up to these companies and demanded action. That should start with fixing these leaks, and then once and for all ending the sewage pumping into waterways.”

Councillor Mazher Iqbal, chair of the regeneration committee, previously said: “Yorkshire Water is not a Mickey Mouse outfit, it’s a large business network – it’s their responsibility, surely?

“I’ve not seen anything about maintenance and improving infrastructure.

“I’m not blaming them for the hot weather but they do need to take responsibility for what they do. They’re just letting Sheffield customers down.”

On Twitter Coun Ben Miskell added that it was difficult to ask consumers to do more to conserve water when water firms were collectively losing billions of litres across the country in leaks.

He said: “They must get their own houses in order.”

Yorkshire Water said 283.08 million litres are lost per day due to leaks across the whole region but it had met its leakage target set by the industry regulator for the last three years.

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A company spokesperson added it had invested £500 million over the last five years in leakage control, pressure management and new leakage technologies.

“We currently have over 500 people finding and fixing leaks around the clock and have repaired 36,000 leaks in the last 12 months,” they said.