Northern Ireland Water has awarded a contract for leakage detection services worth an estimated £17 million.

The water company has a Leakage Business Plan in place to take forward its leakage activities -the level of leakage has been reduced from 291 Ml/d in March 2002 to 163 Ml/d at March 2017.

NI Water is now seeking to go below the current Sustainable Economic Level of Leakage (SELL) of 159 Ml/d to be achieved by March 2019 and reduce leakage to 153 Ml/d by March 2021.

The contract is in recognition of the fact that external assistance in detection activities will be required for the next six years to meet targets in relation to both leakage reduction and maintenance. NI Water intends to supplement its existing in-house resources for the detection of unreported leaks in the water distribution network.

Initial contract period is three years with two further one year extension options.

Ballymena firm E. Mcmullan Ltd and Abingdon-based RPS Environmental Management Ltd have both been awarded a place on the contract, two of six companies who tendered for the work.