Two of the UK’s water companies are still using dowsing to find leaks

Thames Water and Severn Trent Water are still use dowsing rods to detect leaks despite scientific studies showing that the method is ineffective.

A 2017 investigation found that 10 out of 12 water companies were regularly using water dowsing to detect leaks, prompting criticism from some academics that regulators should step in to stop the practice of “witchcraft” at customers’ cost.

New Scientist has now found that, more than five years later, most of the 19 …