Hit new water use targets or face shortage, householders are warned

hOUSEhOLDS may soon face ‘water targets’ to limit usage in a bid to stop Britain’s taps running dry.

But the warning comes as water companies are allowing billions of gallons of drinking water to spill out of their leaky pipes.

the Environment agency said that a growing population, warmer temperatures, and leaks could lead to water running out by 2050.

the Ea is working with the Government, whose 25-year environment plan states that it will ‘set an ambitious personal consumption target and agree cost- effective measures to meet it’.

Sir James Bevan, chief executive of the Ea, said: ‘there are a series of practical things that we can do to hit that target.

‘For example, you can take a shower, rather than a bath, you can turn off the tap while you brush your teeth, you can make sure you have a full load in your washing machine before you use it.’

asked if hosepipes should not be used, he said: ‘Each of us need to be responsible in the way we use water.’

On whether people should be fined for using too much water, Sir James told the today programme yesterday: ‘a lot of this is about changing the way people think about water and the way they use it. So that we start thinking about water not just as something that happens automatically when we turn on the tap, but something that is a precious resource that we all have a responsibility to look after.

‘there are various ways you can influence how people behave and metering is a really important intervention.’

But three billion litres a day are lost through leaks from pipes, which is about a fifth of the water put into

‘Taps running dry by 2050’

the system, and is equivalent to the amount used by more than 20million people in an average day.

Large amounts of water are also wasted by households. average use was 141 litres per person a day in 2016/17, up one per cent on the previous year.

England’s population is growing, and is set to rise to 58.5million by 2026, putting even more stress on water supplies. thames Water is the worst performer for leaks – losing around 179 litres of water per property each day, compared to Southern Water with less than 80 litres lost per property each day.