NI Water is reminding households to check for leaky loos after this year’s Household Water Usage survey results showed that 72% of respondents have a dual flush toilet in their home – while warning that any toilet, dual flush or otherwise, can leak and waste water.

NI Water is highlighting the figure as part of its ongoing water efficiency campaign, encouraging customers to make sure their toilets are working properly and not quietly wasting clean water every day.

Toilets are one of the biggest users of water in the home, with around 30% of water used in an average household going on flushing. While dual flush toilets are designed to help reduce water use, they are a common culprit for leaks from the cistern into the pan – but any toilet can develop a leak and quietly waste large amounts of clean water.

NI Water Head of Water Strategy Thomas Gardiner said: “The survey shows that dual flush toilets are now a common feature in many homes, with 72% of respondents saying they have one. They can be more prone to wasting water if a leak develops, so it is important for people to know the signs of a leaky loo and to check that their toilet – whatever type it is – is not wasting water without them realising.

“A leaking toilet can be hard to spot because the water often runs silently down the back of the pan, but it can waste around 200 to 400 litres of clean water every day. Taking a few minutes to check your loo is a simple step that can help save water, protect the environment and reduce pressure on the water network.”

Customers can check any toilet for a leak by looking for water trickling into the toilet pan between flushes, listening for a constant running sound, or using a leaky loo strip. Free leaky loo strips and other water saving items are available by completing NI Water’s Get Water Fit audit via www.getwaterfit.co.uk.

• Top leaky loo checks
• Look for water running or trickling into the toilet pan between flushes.
• Listen for a constant running sound from the cistern.
• Use a leaky loo strip available via www.getwaterfit.co.uk to check if clean water is escaping into the pan.
• Or use the tissue test: wipe the back of the pan dry with toilet paper 30 minutes after a flush, place a dry
• sheet across the back, and leave it for a few hours (or overnight) without flushing. If the paper is wet or
• torn in the morning, you know you have a leaky loo.
• Fix any continuously running toilet as soon as possible: they are pretty straight forward for an approved plumber www.niwater.com/watersafe-approved-plumber/  or keen DIY-er to fix.

Ends

Notes to editors:

• The Household Water Usage in Northern Ireland 2025/26 survey results were announced by the Department for Infrastructure on Thursday 3rd September 2026. The publication is available on the Department for Infrastructure website.
• The survey found that 72% of all respondents have a dual flush toilet and 28% do not, based on 1,730 respondents. By settlement type, 69% of rural respondents and 74% of urban respondents said they have a dual flush toilet.
• At Local Government District level, results showed: Lisburn & Castlereagh 84%; Derry & Strabane 78%; Antrim & Newtownabbey 76%; North Down & Ards 75%; Belfast 74%; Armagh, Banbridge & Craigavon 73%; Newry, Mourne & Down 73%; Mid & East Antrim 69%; Causeway Coast & Glens 68%; Mid Ulster 62%; and Fermanagh & Omagh 61%.

Media enquiries to the NI Water Press Office via email to press.office@niwater.com