Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water lost 156.4 litres of water per property a day to leakage in 2025-26, against an England and Wales average of 104.5 litres, according to the joint regulator report published in October 2026. Total leakage fell by just 0.39% on the previous year.
Demand is high as well
Households in the company's area used 150.6 litres per person a day in 2025-26, compared with an industry average of 137.3. On Ofwat's three-year measure, per capita consumption was 148.8 litres in 2024-25 against a commitment of 136.5. The three-year leakage average sat 15.0% above its 2019-20 baseline, when the company had committed to cut it by 13.3%.
A ban driven by demand, not dry reservoirs
On 19 July 2026 the company imposed a hosepipe ban on about 33,000 properties in mid and south Ceredigion and parts of north Pembrokeshire and north Carmarthenshire. It said the restriction was not the result of low reservoir levels but of exceptionally high demand for treated water, which strained its ability to treat, pump and refill local storage. Local press reported on 4 September 2026 that the ban had been lifted.
Money is now going to the problem
The company spent £85 million on leakage reduction in 2025-26, the first year of the 2025-30 price control, for which Ofwat allowed £6.0 billion of total expenditure. The baseline is complicated: Ofwat found that leakage and consumption data for 2020-21 and 2021-22 had been misreported, and the company told Ofwat of an intended £29 million customer redress package.
Where the supply system sits within the company's governance, infrastructure and investment picture, how far Ofwat judges the 2025-30 program to be behind, and what to watch through 2027 are covered in the full report. The full report, Water Systems Overview: Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, is available for USD 499. For a free overview, read the Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water Utility Snapshot.