‘No-dig’ tech trial slashes water pipe repair time
No road closures, no excavations and complete in under 30 minutes: new tech is set to dramatically cut the time needed to repair water pipes
Origin No Dig is a food-grade, calcium carbonate solution injected into pipes to find and seal leaks
Trials have allowed us to cut the average time spent on suitable repair jobs from three hours to 15 minutes.
In one case - at Duncan Road in Gillingham, Kent - a repair that would previously have required three months’ notice and two separate road closures was completed in less than half an hour.
The use of Origin No Dig cut the need for two weekends of out-of-hours working, which would have also involved road closures, and associated disruption to traffic, pedestrians, and local trade.
The trial, across Hampshire, Sussex and Kent, is focused on the repair of communication pipes, which carry water between the mains and customers external water meters.
Leaks in these pipes can lead to significant water loss and reduced water pressure. We spend £4.5m per year fixing leaking communication pipes.
Most repairs require permits, road closures and physical excavation, and can take several days to complete. A team using the standard ‘dig’ process can usually fix between one and three leaks a day. Using Origin No-Dig, teams have repaired up to 11 leaks in one day.
Jon Ross, our 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.
"What’s more, we have reduced health and safety risk for our repair teams while helping prevent significant quantities of water being wasted through leakage.”
Andy Farrow, regional operations manager for our delivery partner Clancy, added:
“Origin No Dig has allowed us to complete comms pipe repairs in a quick and effective way. A team can complete increased volumes of repairs when compared with the traditional methods whilst at the same time reducing complicated traffic management solutions and significantly decreasing the risks associated with excavations.
"Repairs are completed with almost no wastage, minimal disruption to customers and almost no mess. All things considered, it’s a great solution to most communication pipe leaks.”
The use of new tech and other proactive work has led to a bumper year for leak reduction. Between April 2024 and April 2025, leakage fell by around 18 per cent, saving 17 million litres every day - enough to serve 35,000 customers.