Portsmouth Water set to drive major water savings at Mountbatten Leisure Centre

Portsmouth Water has helped the Mountbatten Leisure Centre in Portsmouth to improve its water efficiency, with potential savings of up to four million litres of water each year.

That’s the equivalent of more than one and a half Olympic swimming pools.

A water audit found the savings could be achieved by repairing leaks and installing water-saving devices costing just under ten thousand pounds.

The project is still in its early stages, with Portsmouth Water currently monitoring reductions in water consumption at the centre. Following this pilot, the company plans to roll out water efficiency audits to other businesses in the region, including additional leisure centres, to identify similar opportunities.

Bob Taylor, Chief Executive Officer, Portsmouth Water, said: "This partnership shows the significant benefits that relatively simple, cost-effective changes can make. Saving 4 million litres per year from a single business would be a fantastic outcome. By rolling out these audits more widely, we can see if similar savings can be achieved across other businesses in our area.

"The South East faces growing challenges from climate change, population growth, and we also need to make sure we’re leaving enough water in the environment to support nature. That’s why we’re delivering our largest ever investment programme over the next five years. As a company, we’re using innovative approaches like satellites and specially trained leakage detection dogs to find and fix leaks faster. We are also rolling out key water efficiency initiatives like smart water meters, supporting homes in our supply area to detect leaks early and helping them to reduce water use.”

Mountbatten Leisure Centre is operated by registered charity and social enterprise BH Live on behalf of Portsmouth City Council. BH Live is a leading leisure and event venue operator actively improving the health and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of residents across Portsmouth and beyond.

On behalf of BH Live, Matt Low, Portsmouth Area Manager, said: “After approaching Portsmouth Water in 2025 to explore how we could boost water efficiency and cut waste at the Mountbatten Leisure Centre, this collaboration has proven incredibly transformative. As a charity, we’re committed to running our leisure centres as sustainably and responsibly as possible, so seeing these improvements already driving meaningful gains in efficiency is incredibly encouraging.

“Reducing water use not only supports the environment but also enables us to reinvest more of our resources into providing accessible health, wellbeing and community services. We’re proud to be part of this pilot and look forward to the long-term benefits it will deliver for both the centre and the wider region.”

Reducing leakage is a key priority for Portsmouth Water, both now and in the future. A record-breaking 2025 saw us find and fix over 4,000 leaks. Helping customers to use water more efficiently is also key. Portsmouth Water is rolling out a universal smart water metering programme, which can reduce water use by up to 12% by detecting leaks and encouraging customers to use water more wisely.

Customers can also access free water-saving devices here: GetWaterFit For more information about saving water, visit: Water saving tips - in the home | Portsmouth Water

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