‘Conserve water’ call as home use soaring
SEVERN Trent said water use has soared in the recent warm weather – and is urging people to heed advice to protect the environment.
The water company, which serves eight million people across the Midlands, said on one day last week use was up 30 per cent on the recent daily average.
Doug Clarke, water resources manager at Severn Trent, said: “The water we provide to our customers is top-quality drinking water and, at the moment, we all need more water for handwashing and keeping clean.
“But we also know that, with so many more people at home, loads of you are doing DIY, getting the paddling pools out and getting your gardens looking lovely, especially as it’s time to get your bedding plants and seedlings in.
“We reckon watering gardens or cleaning cars with hosepipes or getting the paddling pool out is behind the increase in water use we’ve seen.
“We want everyone to have fun and keep their homes and cars looking great, so we’ve also got some top tips we can offer everyone.
“When watering plants, use a watering can rather than a hose, and don’t worry about your lawn because it’ll bounce back once it starts raining again, so you can put the sprinkler away.
“To put things into perspective, a sprinkler can use as much as 1,000 litres of drinking water in one hour – which is more water than a family of four would normally use in a day. “Get yourself a water butt – it’s a great way to save water when it does rain and you can use the water for your garden when it’s dry. “We’ve got discounted water butts available on our website “Think about planting waterefficient plants such as blanket flower (Gaillardia), sea holly (Eryngium amethystinum) or euphorbia.
“We’ve also got free swell gels available on our website which store water and release it when needed. Clean your car with a bucket rather than a hosepipe or pressure washer.
“It will save loads of water and help keep your bills down.
“Check to see if you have a leaky loo – we’ve got free dye available on our website to help you see.
“Our reservoirs and other water sources are in a healthy position at the moment, but while we need to save the great quality drinking water for handwashing and of course drinking, we wanted to give some tips for gardeners.”
We reckon watering gardens or cleaning cars or getting the paddling pool out is behind the increase