Southern Water has cut average repair times from three hours to 15 minutes.
This comes after a trial of Origin No Dig, a food-grade, calcium carbonate solution, which is injected into pipes to identify and seal leaks.
A repair in Duncan Road, Gillingham, which would previously have required months of preparation and road closures, was completed in under 30 minutes.
The technology trial was conducted across Hampshire, Sussex, and Kent, targeting communication pipes that carry water between the mains and customers' external water meters.
(Image: Southern Water)
Southern Water spends £4.5m annually on fixing leaks in these pipes, which can lead to significant water loss and reduced pressure.
Typically requiring permits, road closures, and physical excavation, repairs can take several days to complete.
Using the traditional 'dig' method, teams usually fix between one and three leaks a day.
However, the Origin No Dig method allows teams to repair up to 11 leaks in a single day.
Jon Ross, Southern Water’s innovation project manager, said: "The results from our trial of Origin No Dig are impressive.
"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."
Share