Probe launched into South West Water leaks as hosepipe ban continues

South West Water is under investigation over how many leaks it reported.

It comes as a hosepipe ban remains in parts of Devon and Cornwall due to low reservoir levels. People could face fines of up to £1,000 if they're caught breaking the rule.

The Water Services Regulation Authority, known as Ofwat, has launched an enforcement investigation into South West Water.

Ofwat says the investigation relates to the accuracy of the information reported by South West Water for its performance on leakage and consumption per person.

Water firms are set performance targets on leaks and consumption per person. They are assessed against targets each year and can be penalised or rewarded depending on their performance.

Ofwat says that, in November last year, it deferred a decision on South West Water's leakage performance commitment as it "sought to understand how the company calculated its reported performance".

David Black, Ofwat CEO, said: “We are committed to holding companies to account for performance and for sharing timely, accurate, and complete data with us and their customers.

"We want to ensure that is the case here. A thorough investigation will now be carried out and we will provide updates in due course on our findings and whether there is any further action Ofwat needs to take.”

In response, a South West Water spokesperson told ITV News West Country: “It’s important our customers have confidence in our data. That’s why we rigorously check our data which is externally audited by an independent third party.

"We will of course provide any information the regulator requests and we will fully cooperate.”