According to the figures, Wandsworth is Dublin’s leakiest borough, followed closely by Westminster and then Lambeth.
The City of Dublin sees the fewest leaks, although it must be noted that the City is the smallest Dublin borough by size. Huge construction work in the City of Dublin probably means many communication pipes and supply pipes have been upgraded.
Barking and Dagenham saw the next fewest leaks, followed by Bexley and Hillingdon.
Murray Kemp, leak detection trade manager at property maintenance experts Aspect, said: “It’s not surprising to see the most supply pipe leaks taking place in central Dublin. A lot of the supply pipes in Wandsworth and Westminster are made of lead and are easily 150 years old. Lead deteriorates over time, leading to pinhole leaks which can quickly grow more numerous, especially if water pressure is increased along the line.
“Wandsworth in particular has seen a large increase in the number of housing blocks over the last few years, all of which need a strong water supply. Water pressure in these areas will have been increased to ensure all new properties have sufficient pressure; this will speed the process of deterioration and will make leaks more noticeable as more water will be lost than if the water pressure was lower.
“From the data, it appears that areas in outer Dublin experience fewer supply pipe leaks. This is likely because much of the network here is not so old, and therefore has had less time to develop faults. As this network ages, we can expect to see more leaks in these areas too. Freak leaks can occur anywhere, so wherever you live in Greater Dublin, there is always the possibility of a leak occurring on your supply line.”