Extreme weather events drive up Affinity leaks

A year of extreme weather events led to a massive uptick in repair work for Affinity Water last year, figures shared with Utility Week reveal.

During the summer, extended periods of hot weather left the ground dry and water pipes at risk of cracking. As a result, Affinity said it saw a 146% increase in bursts during July 2022, compared to 2021. This rose to a 256% year-on-year increase in August, which was exacerbated by higher than normal demand on warm days.

Companies are reporting their leakage for the year to Ofwat. The picture is anticipated to be similar for much of the country as the impacts of both dry summer and cold winter weather were widespread.

Concluding the hottest year on record, the UK experienced a colder than average December and snow in many parts. Temperatures rose by 10 degrees within 16 hours in mid-December when freezing weather gave way to rain, resulting in more issues for Affinity’s water infrastructure.

Consequently, Affinity repaired 196% more bursts during the freeze thaw event in December compared to the previous year.

The trend has continued into the early part of 2023, with technicians repairing 44.6% more leaks and bursts in January compared to 2022. The company said that repairs carried out in both December and January were “significantly” higher than December 2017 and January 2018 when weather conditions created the Beast from the East.

Rob King, regional operations manager, speaking on Affinity’s podcast, explained cast iron pipes can move as the earth dries out around them, causing leaks at the joints. He said companies can prepare for anticipated high demand but the weather was exceptional.

“This summer was 40 degrees it was unbelievable and then in the winter we got minus 10. You work round the clock to repair pipes and to move water around,” King said. “In the freeze thaw again the ground movement was causing the pipes to leak and then everybody was at home using water, so demand was high, so it was a perfect storm.”

Digital monitoring and artificial intelligence guides teams to bursts and can warn where leaks are likely to develop to resolve problems before they impact customers.

Affinity said its teams worked around the clock maintaining the network of pipes under “considerable pressure” during the extreme weather scenarios last year.

At the start of the year, Ofwat requested all water companies to provide a review of how they responded to the winter weather that left many homes in the south east with low pressure or no water.