Britain’s leaky pipes are threatening to cast large areas of the country into drought, officials have warned.
The Environment Agency last night challenged major water companies to improve their infrastructure as it said they were losing the equivalent to 20 million people’s water usage every day.
In a major report, the agency said three billion litres of water a day are lost through leakage, which combined with population growth and the effects of climate change threaten to cause significant shortages in coming years.
It also called on individuals to use less water, calculating the average person gets currently gets through 140 litres in 24 hours.
In total a third of water taken from the natural environment is wasted through leaks, wastage in treatment plants and in private homes, the report found.
Emma Howard Boyd, who chairs the agency, said: "We need to change our attitudes to water use.
“It is the most fundamental thing needed to ensure a healthy environment but we are taking too much of it and have to work together to manage this precious resource.
Taking too much water out of the environment can harm wildlife such as fish, birds and aquatic plants, and damage wetlands which are important habitats for a host of animals and plants.
And in the future, with climate change, river flows are predicted to increase in the winter and decrease in the summer, which along with drier conditions because of warmer temperatures could have a greater effect on wildlife.
If no action is taken to reduce demand and increase supplies of water, most areas will not be able to meet demand if climate change is severe and population growth is high, the report said.