With Natural Resources Wales declaring a drought across the whole of Wales, Ceredigion Penfro Liberal Democrats have called out Welsh Water/Dŵr 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 and a localized temporary hosepipe ban in force for around 33,000 properties across parts of west Wales, local Liberal Democrat councillors have called on Dŵr Cymru to “urgently get its house in order” by fixing the leaky infrastructure.

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

With 85,000 million litres of water (34,000 Olympic-sized swimming pools) lost due to leaks by Dŵr 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, Ceredigion Liberal Democrat Group Leader & Aberaeron Councillor Liz Evans said: “Dŵr Cymru have got away with their gross mishandling of our water infrastructure for far too long, and these figures prove it. Dŵr Cymru needs to urgently get its house in order.
Commenting, Ceredigion Liberal Democrat Group Leader & Aberaeron Councillor Liz Evans said: “Dŵr Cymru needs to urgently get its house in order.” (Welsh Lib Dems)

Commenting, Ceredigion Liberal Democrat Group Leader & Aberaeron Councillor Liz Evans said: “Dŵr Cymru have got away with their gross mishandling of our water infrastructure for far too long, and these figures prove it. Dŵr Cymru needs to urgently get its house in order.

“Whilst people across Wales face hosepipe bans or the threat of one, Dŵr Cymru are taking them for a ride. The current pressures are not just about the amount of water available, but whether our infrastructure has the capacity to treat enough clean drinking water to keep up with increased demand. That again raises serious questions about whether Dŵr Cymru has invested enough in making our water network resilient.

“Dŵr Cymru must start investing in fixing and upgrading their infrastructure so we can avoid this happening time after time.

“The Government also needs to replace Ofwat with a powerful new regulator in Wales, in order to hold Dŵr Cymru to account for its persistent failures.”

Alistair Cameron
Pembrokeshire Liberal Democrats Group Leader and County Councillor for Kilgetty/Begelly, Cllr Alistair Cameron said: “Dŵr Cymru has failed to get a grip on its own crumbling infrastructure.” (Stock image)

Adding his comments, Pembrokeshire Liberal Democrats Group Leader and County Councillor for Kilgetty/Begelly, Cllr Alistair Cameron said: “People across West Wales are being asked to conserve every drop of water while hundreds of millions of litres are being lost every single day through leaks. That is understandably going to leave people questioning why they are being asked to make sacrifices when Dŵr Cymru has failed to get a grip on its own crumbling infrastructure.

“With hotter, drier summers becoming increasingly common, we cannot keep lurching from one shortage to the next. Dŵr Cymru needs to urgently invest in fixing leaks and making our water network resilient for the future, rather than expecting households to pick up the slack for years of underinvestment.”