The leak buster listens for tell-tile signs under the streets of Lewes

The Southern Water squad works round the clock finding leaks in areas of Kent and Sussex where the company supplies 600m litres of water a day.

They use special equipment to listen for underground leaks - often at night so traffic noise does not interfere.

The company said the team helps it keep to its target loss of 92m litres a day.

You don't tend to talk to many people unless someone comes out of their drive and asks what you are doing Leak buster

It estimates the leak busters are responsible for saving 148m litres a day - enough to serve 385,000 homes.

The leak busters walk the streets monitoring 13,000 km (8,000 miles) of water mains using long earpieces inserted into the ground.

"My job is finding leaks," said one of the team.

"It does take quite a while to tune your ears in to the different types of noises."

Another said it could be a lonely job.

Sprinkler bans

"You don't tend to talk to many people unless someone comes out of their drive and asks what you are doing."

Southern Water, Mid Kent Water and Sutton and East Surrey Water customers have been affected by bans on sprinklers and hosepipes following the second driest winter for 100 years.

Southern's Weir Wood reservoir is currently 40% down on normal capacity.

But even though the company is spending �100m over the next five years on repairing and renewing water mains, it said it would not be financially worthwhile to employ more leak busters.

"To go further than we currently do would go beyond the economic levels of leakage and therefore would potentially cost customers more," said spokesman Jon Crooke.