A leaky loo could be wasting double your average daily water usage

Yorkshire Water is encouraging customers to check their toilets for leaks as part of Waterwise’s Leaky Loo Challenge. 

On average, one person uses around 140 litres of water a day. A leaky loo is one of the most common household leaks that could be wasting as much as 400 litres of water a day – that's nearly three baths full!  

A constant trickle in your toilet bowl can be a clear sign of a leak – however, sometimes they are silent and much harder to spot.  

How to test for a leaky loo: 

• Wait 5 minutes after flushing to ensure the back of the toilet pan is as dry as possible 
• Place a piece of toilet paper at the back of the pan, leave it there for 5-10 minutes 
• If the paper is wet or torn - you have a leaky loo! 

Leaky loos are usually caused by a faulty fill or flush valves. If you have an older style cistern, make sure you check it and the overflow pipes for any leaks. 

One Yorkshire Water customer had a leak amounting to 300 litres per hour - 87.6% of their household’s daily water consumption. 

Emma Rattigan, water efficiency manager at Yorkshire Water, said: “After a very dry and warm start to 2025, Yorkshire Water is working hard to reduce leakage across the county to conserve water. It is important that customers also play their part in water conservation by checking their pipes, taps and toilets for leaks.  

“A leaking toilet can waste between 200 and 400 litres of water every single day. Taking simple steps to detect and fix a leaky loo can save water, lower bills, and help protect the environment. 

“Customers can also save water in their homes and gardens with simple changes like taking a quick 4-minute shower instead of a bath, using a watering can instead of a hose if you need to water the garden, and hold off doing your washing until you have a full load for the machine.”  

Yorkshire Water is supporting Waterwise’s Leaky Loo Challenge to help customers understand how to spot a leaky loo, report it and ultimately provide insight to help make a difference in the water industry. 

Chloe McFarland, campaigns manager at Waterwise, said: “It’s wild to think that one of the biggest water wasters in the UK could be quietly leaking away in your own bathroom, and impacting your wallet and you’d never even know. Leaky loos are sneaky, but spotting them can be as easy as using a bit of toilet paper.  

“That’s exactly why we launched the Leaky Loo Challenge. At Waterwise we’re asking everyone to sign up, take the test, and log their results in our quick survey, because the more we know, the more we can do.  

“Right now, we don’t have the data on how many homes are affected, and this challenge is our chance to finally change that and address the actions to take if you find you have a leaky loo. It takes just a minute, but it could save hundreds of litres a day.” 

People wanting to sign up for Waterwise’s Leaky Loo Challenge can find details here. Yorkshire Water customers can take a quiz to check their water usage and order free water saving products here. 

If you think you might have a leak, find a Water Industry Approved Plumbers' Scheme (WIAPS) plumber via www.wras.co.uk/