The springer spaniels sniffing out water leaks for South West Water

  • Watch the spaniels as they locate water leaks

Specially trained dogs are being used by South West Water to sniff out leaks in rural areas.

The two springer spaniels have been trained to detect small traces of chlorine in treated drinking water enabling them to locate even the smallest of leaks.

Led by expert handlers, the dogs – eight-year-old Denzel and three-year-old Kilo – can cover rural land more efficiently than traditional methods, according to South West Water.

The dogs have been sniffing out leaks in the South West Credit: South West Water

It comes as the water company says they have to fix around 2,500 leaks a month.

During a trial, the spaniels searched 44 kilometres of hard-to-navigate rural land over five days, finding a total of seven leaks.

Ali Milton, South West Water’s Leakage Delivery Manager at South West Water, said: “We’re fixing more leaks, more quickly than ever before, working around the clock to conserve our water resources and fixing up to 2,500 leaks a month.

“We continue to invest in innovative technology to help locate hard-to-spot leaks such as utilising satellites to find invisible water leaks underground and drone pilots to cover hard-to-reach places across Dartmoor and Exmoor.

“Using Denzel and Kilo with the Cape SPC team to cover large areas of hard-to-access rural land quicker than any human would be able to, adds another string to our bow when it comes to tackling leakage."

The dogs and their handlers Credit: South West Water

Luke Jones, Cape SPC Director, said: “Denzel and Kilo are trained to detect small traces of chlorine in treated drinking water.

"They are not only able to cover large areas of tough terrain more efficiently, but they can also smell what can’t be seen, and have the ability to differentiate between naturally occurring water and water from leaks.

"This makes them even more valuable when the weather is wet and conditions are more difficult for people."