UK water companies are using divining rods to locate underground pipes despite there being no scientific evidence that the centuries-old tools work, an Oxford University scientist has found.

Sally Le Page, an evolutionary biologist at Oxford University, said her parents "couldn't believe their eyes" when the technician they called to their property from Midlands water company Severn Trent began slowly walking around holding two "bent tent pegs" to locate the mains pipe.

The process of using divining rods, also known as dowsing, has been in use for hundreds of years, despite there being no scientific evidence that it works.

Typically, a dowser will hold the rods, usually shaped like the letter Y, while walking over land and being alert for any movement or the rods crossing in the belief that this could indicate the presence of water underground.

Ms Le Page tweeted Severn Trent "to see if they knew that one of their technicians was using equipment that is known not to work" and the company replied: "We've found that some of the older methods are just as effective than the new ones, but we do use drones as well, and now satellites."

She then contacted other water companies, with Scottish Water, Yorkshire Water, United Utilities, Thames Water, Southern Water, South West Water, Northumbrian Water, Welsh Water and Anglian Water all confirming that their technicians occasionally used divining rods.

Writing on the website Medium, Ms Le Page said: "I can't state this enough: there is no scientifically rigorous, doubly blind evidence that divining rods work.

"You could just laugh this off.

"Isn't it a bit silly that big companies are still using magic to do their jobs.

"Except if they get it wrong, that could mean the difference between an entire town having safe drinking water or not."

A Severn Trent spokesman said: "We use detailed mapping systems to identify where our network of pipes are, which helps us to react quickly when leaks and bursts happen.

"To track down exactly where leaks on our pipes are we use an array of cutting-edge technology.

"Just recently we've begun using satellite data and imagery to monitor our pipes from space and we regularly use drones to spot leaks from the air.

"We don't issue divining rods to our engineers but we believe some of our engineers use them.

"As long as the leak is found and repaired quickly, by whatever means, we're happy and so are our customers."