Do you need to report a water leak?
Or is a leak your responsibility?
One of the most common people ask is “Am I responsible for a water leak or is it my local water company?”. Well hopefully this diagram below will help you understand, but basically, anything on your land (usually on the property side of the meter) is your responsibility. So, for example, if there is a water leak in your garden or driveway in, normally called a ‘supply pipe leak’, that is usually your responsibility to find and fix. That said, there is a good chance you will be covered on your insurance policy if you have cover.
So what if you are not sure where it is? – we can help locate the source of a leak to help determine if it is your responsibility or the water company’s. We have specialist water leak detection tools and procedures in place to help locate leaks accurately. That will determine what the next steps are.
As you can see from this diagram, mains water or supply pipe leaks will benefit from underground water leak detection to help locate burst pipes.
We discuss this too in our article regarding a leak between meter and house.
Report a Water Leak – Who To?
If you have worked out that the water leak near your property is not your responsibility, then you will need to speak to your local water company who will help you and very likely send someone out to repair the leak. Remember water companies do not like water leaks to continue as it wastes water that they are producing so you should report a water leak to them, it will help them. In fact Ofwat (the UK water company regulator) has set targets for water companies to reduce water leaks between 2020 and 2025.
If you are unsure who your water company is this page on the Water UK website (the trade body for water companies) will help, with their post code finder.
The UKs Main / Biggest Water Companies
Here is a list of the main water companies in the UK in case you need to report a water leak, we have also linked to their webpage for reporting leaks with them:
Anglian Water
Anglian Water covers the East of England – this includes Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Northamptonshire and Suffolk.
Northern Ireland Water
The water company for Northern Ireland.
Northumbrian Water
Northumbrian Water covers Tyneside, Wearside, County Durham and Northumberland.
Scottish Water
The water company for Scotland.
Severn Trent Water
The water company for the Midlands and the South West of England.
Southern Water
The water company for the South Coast of England and the Isle of Wight.
- Website – https://www.southernwater.co.uk/
South West Water
The water company for Devon and Cornwall, plus parts of Dorset and Somerset.
Thames Water
The water company for London, Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire and parts of Wiltshire and Kent. Plus some other areas.
United Utilities
The water company for North West England – including Greater Manchester, Cumbria, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire.
Welsh Water / Dŵr Cymru
The water company for Wales and parts of Western England.
Wessex Water
A water company serving parts of South West England, including Dorset, Somerset, Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire. Also Bristol.
Yorkshire Water
The water company for Yorkshire, plus parts of Lincolnshire and Derbyshire.
- Website – https://www.yorkshirewater.com/
- Report a leak with Yorkshire Water
- We provide water leak detection in York too
Other Water Companies
Apart from the water companies listed above, there are a number of smaller water companies who operate in other parts of the UK. There is a useful Wikipedia page about water companies with useful information contained within it. This page also includes a useful map of water companies which links through to other pages containing further information about each of the companies, where they operate and what services they offer.
We have another guide on how we find an outdoor water leak and determine which area of responsibility a leak falls within, which is worth a read too. We also have a guide to flooded houses and major water leaks which is relevant too, as is our guide to water tester kits and a follow-on guide explaining Drinking Water Testers
Who do I call if there is a Water Leak?
Our diagram at the top of this page will let you understand who is responsible for a water leak in most cases. If it is your water company, then get in touch with them. If it is within your area of responsibility, then contact us for help.
Who is responsible for water leaks outside?
This will depend where the water leak is, people sometimes assume that a water leak outside in their garden is something for the water company to sort. However, using the image at the top as a guide, this is not always the case.
Who do I call for a water leak inside?
If you have a water leak inside your home or business then a leak detection specialist company such as ourselves can help to locate the water leak for you, even in hidden locations including underground water leaks, or leaks in walls, floors or ceilings. We have specialist equipment to locate leaks.
