Tamper-proof meters urgently needed to stop water theft by irrigators, report says

New South Wales water chief says he is disappointed by a lack of progress on prosecutions and recommends a 'no metering, no pumping' policy

Modern water meters need to be rolled out as a matter of urgency in the Barwon-Darling river system and prosecutions launched against breaches, the man charged with fixing New South Wales's water administration has warned.

Immediately after the ABC Four Corners program that alleged large-scale water theft and meter tampering by some irrigators, the state government asked water expert Ken Matthews to review the system.