Outside on your property

Your supply pipe

Most homes are connected to the water main in the street by an underground pipe. The section of this pipe running from the street boundary into your home is called the supply pipe and you are responsible for it. If this pipe leaks it may not be obvious.

Signs of a supply pipe leak include:

• damp areas, soft patches or dips in the ground
• a continuous hissing sound, or
• an area of lush vegetation or greener grass – this would be noticeable during dry weather

Checking with a meter

Water meters make it possible to tell if the supply pipe is leaking because they record water flowing onto your property. By looking at the meter, we can see whether you are still using water with your inside stop tap turned off.

If you think that your supply pipe may be leaking, please call Customer Service on 01202 590059 and we’ll send a representative to take a look.

If your meter is underground and in the road, we don’t recommend that you check your meter. But if you are sure that you can see it without putting yourself or others in danger, please follow this guide:

How to check for supply pipe leaks

Meter not at boundary

Some meters are fitted part way along the supply pipe or inside a building. If your meter is not at the street boundary, any leaks that are on the section of the supply pipe between the meter and the street boundary will not be detected by the meter, although this section of the supply pipe is still your responsibility.

How we can help

If your supply pipe is leaking, we may be able to help by:

• repairing or replacing the pipe at little or no charge
• giving you an allowance on your account for the estimated water loss

Supply pipe repairs and leak allowances

New meters

We check for leaks whenever we install a new meter. If we find your supply pipe leaking when we’re installing the meter, we’ll repair it for you at our expense if it’s a simple job. You won’t be charged for the metered water supply until the leak is fixed.