More than a third of water pumped through Northern Ireland's water network is lost because of leaky pipes, it was revealed in a report yesterday.
A total of 250 million litres of water a day - 37 per cent of all treated water - is lost from the distribution system through faulty pipes, according to a report from the Assembly's Public Accounts Committee. Committee chairman Mr Bill Bell said he was "gravely concerned" and it was clear the Water Service "is by no means on top of this problem".
"This is an appalling state of affairs. Even though the Water Service has spent £22 million on leakage reduction over the past four years leakage has continued to increase," he said.
Given that a further £25 million was to be spent over the next four years on leakage, the service needed to assure itself that its processes were effective, he said.
The committee expressed concern that the Water Service might build a £72 million source on Lough Neagh before an economic level of leakage was reached.
"We do not believe that it makes economic sense to spend taxpayers' money to increase the supply of water into a system which is going to allow 37 per cent of that water to leak away."