Leakage is a major source of lost revenue in pipeline distribution networks. In UK water distribution networks, the amount of treated water lost within distribution networks can reach up to 40% of the total supply. Existing leakage location techniques are heavily dependent on acoustic sensing, which can perform poorly in situations in which the noise created by a leak is small or attenuates rapidly. A reliable, nonacoustic‐based location technique would be a significant advance for the water industry. The work presented here applies a pressure transient‐based technique for leak location, which has previously only been tested under laboratory conditions, to a live water distribution network. The method has the potential to increase the speed and accuracy of leak locations and reduce the occurrence of inaccurate leak diagnosis. A single device that fits to standard fire hydrants is used to generate a mild transient and collect the required data. This method is based on analyzing pressure waves reflected by leaks and other features in a pipeline and accurately identifies reflections in measurements of the small pressure wave caused by pipeline features, including leaks. The technique requires accurate estimation of the wave propagation speed; a simple empirical approach for determining this is included.