Hospital water bill doubles after leak

A HOSPITAL saw its water bill more than double after suffering a major leak, it has been revealed.

Wrexham Maelor Hospital was charged about £45,000 a month for an unspecified period last year, compared to its normal average bill of £20,000.

Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board (BCU) said work had been carried out to fix the issue, but during the leak the hospital used around 17,000 litres of water a month.

Officials said the board’s overall water bill went up to around £1.67m in the 2018/19 financial year – an increase of just over 8% compared to the previous 12 months.

While they said some of the costs incurred had been recovered, the leak at the Maelor accounted for a large proportion of its expenditure.

In a report set to go before board members next week, they said: “In the east division of the BCU estates property portfolio, we showed a significant increase in cost and water volume.

“This can be attributed to the substantial leak at the Maelor.

“The average consumption through this water meter in question should have been approximately 8,000 litres a month (approximately £20,000 a month) however, during the leak period it was approximately 17,000 litres a month (approximately £45,000 a month).

“We fortunately were able to recoup some of the losses as a sewerage rebate of £140,000 as a portion of the water consumed by the site did not go to drain, it went to ground – hence it was not processed by the water authority.”

A leak also occurred at Llandudno Hospital last year, which was not on the scale of the one at the Maelor, but was described as “substantial” for the size of the premises.

The report shows that water consumption can currently be monitored remotely at five hospitals in north Wales.

However, the Maelor is not one of those on the list and the board admitted the leak at the hospital had taken some time to locate.

Officials added: “Each property as far as practicable is visited on a monthly basis and estates staff records the gas, electricity, water and where applicable, oil consumptions.

“There are some issues in relation to obtaining meter readings in a timely manner, however, we always strive to achieve this consistent approach.

“The estates business support unit is exploring the possibilities of a complete energy management software package that will collate supplier meter reading and self-read data and provide analysis of consumptions and usage trends.”