New water meters are being installed in homes across Kent in a bid to save enough water to fill two Olympic-sized swimming pools every day.

Around 500,000 Southern Water customers in Kent, Hampshire and Sussex will be given the 'intelligent' water meters.

The gadgets feature a leak alarm, which can alert the company to any problems with customers' pipes.

It is hoped the move will save five million litres of water a day – enough to supply 37,000 people.

Jon Crooke, deputy director of metering at Southern Water, said: "Around 20% of leaks occur on customers' pipes.

"The meters we're installing are the most advanced in the water industry and help us more easily detect when water is escaping from household supply pipes or internal pipework.

"These leaks are the responsibility of the householder but to help everyone save water, we'll fix up to three external leaks free of charge."

Southern Water says it has already picked up hundreds of leaks since it began installing the meters a year ago.

Around 38,000 have already been installed in Kent, mostly in the Medway area.

Work is due to start in Sittingbourne and on the Isle of Sheppey in the next few months.