MORE than 200million litres of water are lost through leakages in East Anglia every day, according to the latest figures.The water industry regulator said Anglian Water - geographically the largest water company in the country - lost 200m litres of water per day while Essex and Suffolk Water's figure was 68m.

MORE than 200million litres of water are lost through leakages in East Anglia every day, according to the latest figures.

The water industry regulator said Anglian Water - geographically the largest water company in the country - lost 200m litres of water per day while Essex and Suffolk Water's figure was 68m.

However, both firms either met or exceeded the target set by Ofwat in the year to March - and said they were satisfied with their performance.

A spokeswoman for Anglian Water, whose target was set at 215m litres of water per day, said: “We have spent £18.5m last year investing in reducing leakages by fixing bursts and leaks, detecting leaks, replacing pipes and improving the condition of pipes, as well as having extra people to detect.

“As we operate in one of the driest regions in the country, managing our water resources is critical to us and we haven't had a hosepipe ban for more than 15 years.”

A spokeswoman for Essex and Suffolk Water, which is owned by Northumbrian Water, said: “We are going to continue to bring this figure down - our target for 2009/10 is 26m litres per day - and we do have one of the lowest leakage rates in the country.”