Southern Water repair times slashed to minutes with new tech

New 'no-dig' technology being trialled by Southern Water in Hampshire is reducing repair times and helping to tackle leaks more efficiently.

The Origin No Dig system uses a food-grade, calcium carbonate solution that is injected into pipes to locate and seal leaks without the need for excavation or road closures.

Jon Ross, innovation project manager at Southern Water, said: "The results from our trial of Origin No Dig are impressive.

Southern Water trials leak-sealing tech slashing repair times to minutes (Image: Southern Water) "The solution enables our teams to undertake work far faster than was previously possible, meaning they can attend and complete a greater number of repairs each week, with almost no disruption or inconvenience to the public.

"What’s more, we have reduced health and safety risk for our repair teams while helping prevent significant quantities of water being wasted through leakage."

Southern Water spends £4.5 million each year repairing communication pipes, which connect the water main to customers’ external meters.

These repairs often require permits, road closures, and excavation, typically taking several days.

Traditional repair teams can fix one to three leaks per day, but with the new system, up to 11 repairs have been completed in a single day.

Andy Farrow, regional operations manager at Clancy, Southern Water’s delivery partner, said: "A team can complete increased volumes of repairs when compared with the traditional methods.

"Repairs are completed with almost no wastage, minimal disruption to customers, and almost no mess.

"All things considered, it’s a great solution to most communication pipe leaks."

Southern Water said the technology and other proactive measures have contributed to a 'bumper year' for leak reduction.

Between April 2024 and April 2025, weekly leakage fell by more than 15 per cent, from 108.1 million litres per day to 91.1 million litres per day.

This equates to a daily saving of 17 million litres of water.

The technology is also being trialled across Sussex and Kent.

In one example, a repair on Duncan Road in Gillingham, Kent, that would have required three months’ notice and two road closures, was completed in under 30 minutes.