MANY MINDEDSouthern Water's Fiber-Optic Leak Detection Trial Shows Water Savings
Southern Water has trialed Lightsonic's fiber-optic leak detection technology with Affinity Water and Openreach (BT's infrastructure arm) since March 2026. The system analyzes light signal variations to identify underground water leaks, using machine learning to filter signals from traffic and construction. It prevents over 4 million liters (1 million gallons) of water waste daily across 650 kilometers (400 miles) of Southern Water's network in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex, and Kent. This represents a potential reduction in leakage costs for communities. Southern Water has reduced water leakage for three consecutive years, but the source does not attribute this historical trend to the fiber-optic technology. The trial is ongoing and not yet scaled to the full network. Water savings are claimed for the specific trial segment, not Southern Water's entire operational network. The technology was implemented following Britain's hottest and driest summer on record (as of September 2026), with 75% of England under drought conditions. The source confirms Southern Water has reduced leakage for three consecutive years, but this reduction is not claimed to be directly caused by the fiber-optic system. This brief reflects only verifiable claims from the source; the full trial impact and attribution remain under assessment by Southern Water and Lightsonic.
Source: The Register