Severn Trent has been trialling futuristic new drones technology - which could help detect leaking pipes from hundreds of miles away.

Pilots Duncan Turner and Jonny Bevan have been operating the company’s flying fleet of machines since 2017. Thermal-imaging drones detect drops in temperature on land below to spot leaking pipes. Others are used to survey sites like reservoirs and treatment works, saving cash on scaffolding and manpower.

Yet flying of the drones is currently regulated to ensure pilots must always be ‘within line of site’ – meaning they can only be flown a few hundred metres away at a time.

But Severn Trent has recently carried out a successful trial of new technology, called Drones In a Box. And, if new legislation is approved, the trial could eventually see a series of drones set up in docking stations at Severn Trent sites across the region – and flown remotely when needed from hundreds of miles away.

Drone Lead Duncan said: “Drones in a Box is a really exciting new technology that we have trialled in Nottinghamshire earlier this year.

“The drones would be housed inside a docking station, which opens up to allow them to fly out when operated remotely.

“What Drones in Box would give us is the capability to rapidly respond to issues or problems from many miles away. This could include helping spot potential leaks with our thermal drones, which is particularly useful in rural areas, plus conducting remote surveys of our sites when needed.

“It could also allow us to fly to the scene of a big burst  within minutes to help send back photographs and video, so expert teams at our Coventry headquarters can make quick decisions, including on logistics.”

The Civil Aviation Authority currently regulates the flying of drones. Earlier this year, it outlined plans to relax current restrictions which could see the ban on remote flying lifted by 2027.

If restrictions are lifted, the new Drones in a Box would be a big boost to Severn Trent’s current fleet of drones which are helping Severn Trent target of reducing leakage by 15% by 2025. The company is also aiming to halve the amount of water lost through its network by 2045. 

Jonny said: “Drones are just one of the new technologies helping us to reduce leakage across our network.

“In the past, trying to identify a leak on a rural pipeline that is say 6km long may have taken some time for our teams on the ground to find before. But we can reduce that to a few hours with the drones.

“If we can find these leaks faster and deal with them quicker, that make things better for our customers.”