Third of London's pipes could burst

Experts today warned that the south London water crisis could become the norm, with up to a third of the capital's water and sewerage pipes in such poor condition they could burst at any time.

However, desperately-needed repair work will only be carried out if Thames Water customers agree to foot the bill which could top £6 billion.

Consumer groups are furious that the public is being held to ransom by privately-operated water firms which could fund the improvements out of money paid to shareholders.

Peter Bowler of consumer group WaterWatch said: "Lack of investment means the pipes are literally wearing out."

Thames Water has proposed to increase water bills by up to 20 per cent over the next five years to cover the cost of improving networks.

The company is owned by a German firm, RWE, which made £577million profit in the first nine months of last year.

A spokesman said: "We reinvest a third of all our profits into Thames Water and for each £1 we get from customers we spend £1.50 on improvements."