Thames Water pipe repair cuts ‘will be green disaster’

Thames has been carrying out a mains replacement scheme in London

Cuts in Thames Water's mains replacement programme threaten an "environmental disaster", campaigners warn today.

Thames said financial constraints would force it to abandon plans to cut leakage.

It would only be able to complete 520 miles, instead of 940, of new mains for London between next year and 2015.

But Darren Johnson, chairman of the London Assembly, said: "Too much of Thames Water's revenue from bills has been leaking to its shareholders in the form of huge profits for far too long.

"If they do slash their mains replacement programme it will mean a scandalous waste of water and a continuing environmental disaster."

But Thames Water today defended the decision, blaming Ofwat over a lack of funding.

A spokesman said: "Our business plan, sent to Ofwat, asked for a pot of funding specifically to replace 1,500km of worn-out pipes over the next five years.

"Ofwat's suggested price-setting outcome means the additional work to actually reduce leakge will now not take place. If we don't press ahead with this work, customers will simply end up paying more in future."