With the latest technology at their fingertips, modern water companies should be better than ever at finding and fixing leaks. But it turns out many of them are making use of a rather less cutting edge method – magic.

Ten out of 12 major water suppliers in the UK admitted to using “dowsing” or “divining rods” to detect underground water, a method which has been widely discredited by modern science. The rods were once believed to twitch in the hands of a “diviner” to point to underground reserves, a method which is believed to date back to the 15th century.

The practice is used by engineers working for most of the largest water companies, including Severn Trent, United Utilities and Thames Water.

Northern Ireland Water and Wessex Water were the only major suppliers which said they did not rely on esoteric energies to find their leaks.

Companies confirmed that some of their workers prefer this method despite having access to hi-tech digital mapping, drones and even satellites, after science blogger Sally Le Page began making enquiries on Twitter.