'Woeful' Thames Water introduces hosepipe ban as millions of litres lost to leaks

Thames Water has come under criticism from GMB Union for introducing a hosepipe ban, despite losing millions of litres of water a day to leaks.

The company’s own figures suggest it loses around 570.4 million litres per day, while customer dissatisfaction is growing, with a 77 per cent rise in complaints last year.

Cliff Roney, GMB activist, retired water worker, and contributor to Channel 4’s Dirty Business, said:

“Once again, Thames Water’s fed-up customers are the ones paying the price for this company’s woeful mismanagement.

“If Thames Water put as much effort into fixing leaks as they did into lining their senior managers' pockets, this ban wouldn’t be necessary.

“It’s not unreasonable for customers paying hundreds of pounds a year to expect to be able to water their garden or let their children enjoy a paddling pool.

“The only way to give customers the service they deserve and protect water workers from a failing employer is to bring it back under public ownership.”