'You could go for a paddle with these water leaks'

Paul Boycott has questioned how many litres of water are being wasted in Hutton Cranswick

Yorkshire Water has been criticised by villagers for failing to fix leaks during the hosepipe ban.

Paul Boycott, of Hutton Cranswick, near Driffield, East Yorkshire, said: "The amount of water that's pouring down this road – it's ridiculous. Yorkshire Water have been and marked the spot and yet it's still pouring out of this inspection cover."

The company said the leak was due to be repaired "imminently" and overall leakage throughout the region was "the lowest it has ever been".

But Mr Boycott, 77, said a second leak around the corner was "really pouring out", and he added: "You can go for a paddle."

He questioned why residents were being asked to save water when so much was going to waste.

"I'm exasperated," Mr Boycott said. "This is a professional utility company asking the public to share baths, have a three-minute shower, hosepipe bans, but they're quite happy to waste it at our expense."

Adrian and Helen Thompson said they were observing the hosepipe ban despite water leaking day and night outside their home

Fellow villager Helen Thompson, 68, said: "Nobody seems to be able to do anything about it. We can't do anything about our bills going up, either."

Earlier this summer, villagers in Cherry Burton, near Beverley, reported similar problems and claimed one pipe had been leaking for months.

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said the company understood leaks could be frustrating but insisted it was "working around the clock to attend and fix bursts and leaks".

Leakage had been reduced "by 15% over the last five years", with £38m earmarked for repairs over the next five years.

"We're also working on a £406m scheme to replace more than 1,000km [620 miles] of pipework to make burst and leaks less likely," the spokesperson said.

"We recently recruited 100 extra leakage inspectors to help us find and fix leaks faster. On average, they are fixing more than 800 leaks a week, prioritising those that are losing the most water."

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