MORE than a third of Scotland's drinking water is lost through leakage before it reaches the taps, although customers are still paying for it.

According to the latest report from publicly-owned Scottish Water 500 million litres a day disappears– or just over 38 per cent of the 1.3 billion litres of water the company provides.

A six-year, £3.5bn infrastructural upgrade programme funded by consumer charges, due for completion in 2021, has seen year-on-year decreases in leakages – and the company has consistently bettered its targets – however last year the reduction was just eight per cent over 2014-15, despite the company repeatedly advising the public to be more eco-friendly and water efficient. The loss in 2009-10, by comparison, was 738m a day, around half the total.

Scottish Green Party leader Patrick Harvie says “It's not just a waste of water, it's a waste of energy and money that's gone into getting that water where it needs to be and in the right conditions. The challenge is immense when you're dealing with Victorian infrastructure.”

With regards to the costs involved Harvie added: “There's a huge amount of further investment needed. The leakages have been cut, but that shouldn't be a reason for complacency. It's one of the many reasons why we absolutely have to keep Scottish Water in the public sector and resist the efforts to flog it off, privatise it or change it's structure in some way.”

Water companies in England are privatised. The UK Government’s official advisers, the Committee on Climate Change, warned in 2016 that water shortages were one of the most serious impacts of global warming in the UK, with even modest temperature rises leading to “severe” water shortages in England. The committee said measures to reduce both leakage and demand are needed.

John O'Connell, Chief Executive of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said of Scottish Water leakages: "It is astonishing that so much drinking water is being wasted and taxpayers will want to know what the authorities are doing about it. At a time when every department is trying to find savings and people are feeling the pinch, it is crucial that waste like this is dealt with promptly."

Scottish Water also found itself in hot water this year after it was revealed they were fined for supplying water unfit for human consumption to over 6000 homes in North Lanarkshire in 2015.

A spokesperson for the company said: “Reducing water leakage from our countrywide network has been a real priority for the organisation and we have seen real improvements in performance in this area. Since 2002 we have replaced or rehabilitated around 5,000 miles of water mains across Scotland.

"In the last five years we have completed Scotland’s biggest-ever water mains renewal scheme which saw 2,600 miles of pipes refurbished or replaced. We take our commitment to managing and protecting the country’s natural resources seriously and we will continue to work to protect and enhance the environment of Scotland.”