19 January 2007
The water regulator needs to keep up the pressure on firms to improve their data on water usage and leaks, government auditors said this week.
The National Audit Office said that although Ofwat had obtained better data, calculations of leakage still depended on estimates of consumption, which vary from 124 to 177 litres per person per day.
It is unclear whether these variations are because of differing social and economic habits or inconsistencies in the estimations, the January 19 report said.
The NAO also highlighted problems in assessing how well water-saving projects are working. Little evidence has emerged to demonstrate which projects help consumers save the most water.
Auditor general Sir John Bourn said: 'A good understanding of the needs of water consumers should be at the heart of Ofwat's regulatory regime. The regulator must work to achieve robust and reliable data on how consumers use water and on how effective water efficiency projects are in conserving water.
'This data can then be used to underpin its regulatory regime.'
PFjan2007
