Northumbrian Water is enlisting the help of a team of volunteers across the region to help find water leaks.
The company′s Water Rangers, who ordinarily patrol and monitor waterways looking for pollution, are helping in the battle against leakage by keeping their eyes out for leaks and bursts while on their routes.
As well as ensuring rivers stay clean and pollution free, the team will now report any leaks or bursts so they can be fixed as soon as possible.
In the last week, the region has seen extreme weather conditions and changes in temperature, causing an increase in leaks and bursts to the water supply network.
Northumbrian Water′s leakage teams have been working around the clock to keep disruptions to customers to a minimum and although the networks are currently operating really well, in order to avoid complacency, leakage remains a priority for the whole company.
Water Rangers Co-ordinator Vicky Cairns said: "Our volunteers, who act as additional eyes and ears, are the perfect team to assist us on the lookout for leaks and bursts, as well as potential pollution threats to the environment.
"We′re so incredibly proud of our Water Rangers and their ongoing support in helping us to protect the environment and tackling water leaks.
"Everyone can do their bit to help protect our region′s waterways and to keep a look out for water leaks by protecting this precious resource."
The Water Rangers volunteers are made up of 62 adults, 8 children and 5 dogs.
The team help Northumbrian Water protect the environment and monitor over 74km of the region′s waterways and report their findings so that any potential pollution threats to the environment can be dealt with quickly.
They also look out issues that are not the responsibility of Northumbrian Water such as fly tipping, abandoned shopping trolleys, fallen trees and debris causing obstructions in watercourses so this information can be passed on to the relevant authority to deal.
Since the community initiative was launched in 2014, volunteer Water Rangers have completed more than 4,600 patrols and reported over 235 issues.
For more information on the Water Rangers scheme please visit here www.nwl.co.uk/your-home/environment/water-rangers.aspx or e-mail waterrangers@nwl.co.uk
To report more urgent water leaks or bursts customers can call 0800 393 084
To report less urgent water leaks customers can tweet a photograph along with the location to @nwater_care or on Facebook to ‘Northumbrian Water′ or alternatively use the online leakage form www.nwl.co.uk/your-home/contact-us/report-a-leak.aspx