Britain’s leaky pipes are threatening to cast large areas of the country into drought, officials have warned. The Environment Agency last night challenged major water companies to improve their infrastructure as it said they were losing the equivalent to 20 million people's water usage every day.

In a major report, the agency said three billion litres of water a day are lost through leakage, which combined with population growth and the effects of climate change threaten to cause significant shortages in coming years.

It also called on individuals to use less water, calculating the average person gets currently gets through 140 litres in 24 hours.

In total a third of water taken from the natural environment is wasted through leaks, wastage in treatment plants and in private homes, the report found.