The cost of leaking infrastructure: Why smarter street works matter
In an era where every pound and kilowatt counts, Britain’s outdated infrastructure is leaking more than just water and gas—it's leaking opportunity.
The latest data shows that nearly 3,000 gas leaks were reported in 2021, a 17% year-on-year increase, costing around £100 million to fix—much of which is ultimately footed by consumers. In 2023, 19% of water in supply was lost due to leaking pipes, costing an estimated £697 million. Meanwhile, Britain’s electricity grid wastes 26,412 GWh annually—enough to power 7 million households. These inefficiencies underscore a critical truth: street works aren’t just roadworks—they are the frontline of economic resilience, environmental progress, and national productivity.
The invisible engine powering progress
Street works—excavating roads to access, upgrade, or install infrastructure like pipes, cables, and ducts—are often viewed as a temporary inconvenience. They are foundational to housing growth, achieving net zero, and unlocking nationwide productivity. Yet, the sector is frequently overlooked in discussions around infrastructure investment.
The UK sees around 4 million street work excavations each year. These operations enable everything from new home connections to grid upgrades and EV charger rollouts, and they’re only becoming more essential.
Building homes requires digging smart
The UK government has committed to building 1.5 million new homes over the next five years. But without functional utilities, a house is just a shell. Water, gas, electricity, and telecoms infrastructure are the hidden arteries that bring these new communities to life—and each one begins with a trench in the ground.
Water companies, for instance, are investing nearly £10 billion annually to address the looming shortfall of 5 billion litres of water per day between supply and demand. This means significant investment in road-based upgrades, new reservoirs, and long-distance water transfers.
Gas networks, still used by over 21 million homes, continue to install and upgrade piping—not just for natural gas but for a potential future of hydrogen-powered heating. In electricity, Distribution Network Operators (DNOs) are investing up to £22 billion to speed up new grid connections, including for large developments that currently wait up to 14 weeks for power.
Without efficient, real-time street works, these efforts stall—and delays ripple across housing supply chains, construction schedules, and ultimately, to the people waiting for affordable homes.
Street works are the hidden frontline of net zero
Britain’s road to net zero is paved—literally—with street works. From laying the cabling for EV chargers to connecting heat pumps and renewable energy hubs, utility access beneath our streets is essential.
The Government’s commitment to 300,000 public EV chargers by 2030—up from 70,000 today—hinges on rapid curbside installations. These installations depend on coordinated street work planning to minimise traffic disruptions while still delivering power where it’s needed most.
Home heating is also undergoing a transformation. With new homes required to install non-gas systems from 2027, the goal is to scale up to 600,000 heat pump installations annually. This demands a major investment in local energy grids and the street works needed to bring that energy to the home.
Industry decarbonisation adds another layer: from hydrogen infrastructure to data centres powered by clean electricity, the rollout of low-carbon industrial hubs will be built on the back of trenching, cabling, and asset coordination at the street level.
Smart work means less waste
Infrastructure waste is not just an environmental issue—it’s an economic one. Gas leaks, water loss, and energy dissipation are all symptoms of an outdated, reactive approach to infrastructure maintenance. These failures cost billions and place unnecessary strain on national resources and customer bills.
But smart street works can flip the equation. Installing smart meters, for example, could cut household water usage by 17%—a game-changer in the face of climate pressures. Coordinating trenching efforts among utility providers can reduce road closures, lower emissions, and dramatically cut costs. Using digital tools like the National Underground Asset Register (NUAR) can prevent utility strikes and delays.
FYLD’s platform plays a key role here—empowering field managers with real-time video, audio, and data insights to make proactive decisions on-site. This reduces safety risks, accelerates approvals, and ensures street works are done right the first time.
Unlocking a digital, productive future
The UK’s productivity gap with other leading economies is a long-standing issue, but poor digital infrastructure is an overlooked culprit. Only 78.5% of UK premises have access to gigabit broadband. And while countries like South Korea and India enjoy 5G connections over 40% of the time, the UK trails at 10%, with many rural areas still waiting for 4G.
Street works are essential to fixing this. Whether it’s laying fibre optic cables, upgrading mobile base stations, or installing sensors for smart cities, the street is where digital transformation begins.
As more industries rely on digital connectivity for remote working, cloud computing, and data-driven services, the cost of poor infrastructure is only rising. Enabling broadband and 5G expansion through efficient, proactive street works will be key to keeping the UK economically competitive.
Cutting through the red tape
Despite its strategic importance, the street works sector faces unnecessary bureaucratic barriers. Permits are inconsistent across local authorities. Lane Rental Schemes, while aiming to reduce disruption, can penalise essential work with punitive fees. And planned changes to regulation threaten to lengthen guarantee periods, further burdening utility providers.
Instead, a smarter approach is needed—one that embraces innovation, streamlines approvals, and encourages collaboration. Flexi-permits, for instance, offer a proven way to expedite routine works across multiple streets. Better regulatory clarity and cohesive national policies can help street work teams deliver without added risk or cost.
Proactive, not reactive: a smarter vision for infrastructure
Britain’s infrastructure challenges are well documented, but the solutions lie in how we deliver and manage work on the ground. Whether it's predictive maintenance of gas pipelines, intelligent scheduling for EV rollouts, or efficient installation of broadband in new developments, the future is proactive, not reactive.
FYLD’s AI-driven platform is already enabling this future—giving field managers and back-office teams real-time visibility into operations, risks, and resource allocation. By removing guesswork and reducing admin burdens, FYLD ensures that street works aren’t just completed—they’re optimised.
Because when street works are done right, they don’t just fix pipes or cables—they lay the foundation for housing, growth, resilience, and a greener tomorrow.
Want to see how FYLD can help your teams cut delays, reduce costs, and deliver smarter street works? Book a demo today and discover the power of proactive fieldwork execution.
