New water pipes developed in the UK

Advanced technology has been used to develop self-repairing water pipes in the UK, it has emerged.

The pipes, jointly developed by Yorkshire Water and technology company Brinker, work like platelets in the blood, patching over damage without the need for time-consuming and inconvenient road-digging.

According to Yorkshire Water, the pipes may see the end of road excavations within the next two years.

Chief operating officer at Yorkshire Water Richard Flint said the firm is aware how "frustrated" its customers can become when their supplies are interrupted due to maintenance.

He commented: "The platelets work under pressure and travel along the water supply pipe to find the leak and seal it from the inside; it's unlike anything seen in the water industry before."

As asserted on its website, Yorkshire Water is aiming to invest around £750 per household in order to improve the region's water system by 2013.