In some cases the savings in water achieved by more efficient irrigation have been used by farmers to irrigate larger areas of land. Investment in detecting and repairing leaks is important, and improvements to the construction and maintenance of water supply systems have reduced leakage losses throughout the sub-region. In the past 10 to 15 years, 30-50% reductions in leakage have been achieved in the Czech Republic, Denmark, England and Wales, Germany, Malta, the Netherlands and Spain.