‘Use water like in Swinging Sixties’

LOCAL residents are being encouraged to look back to the Swinging Sixties after Severn Trent revealed that people now use more than 50 litres of water each day, compared to 60 years ago.

Fifty litres is the equivalent of an extra 200 cups of tea or coffee every day for everyone in the UK, as the average person uses around 130 litres each day now.

The recent Great British Rain Paradox report, supported by the Environment Agency, suggests the UK could face water scarcity in just 25 years if behaviours towards water don’t change.

Sir James Bevan, Chief Executive of the Environment Agency, said in the report: “People might wonder how a country with such a reputation for rain like the UK could reach a tipping point where demand for water outstrips supply in just 25 years. But this may become a reality if we don’t take action to save water now. The fact is a convergence of factors underpinned by climate change has led us to this frightening prospect. But if we all take concerted action now we can ensure that there will be enough water to go around for generations to come.”

Severn Trent says we’re using water in different ways these days compared to the Sixties – most of us will now have water hungry devices like jet washers, sprinklers and huge paddling pools which all contribute to the increases in consumption. So in this unique summer, with more people at home than ever before, it’s encouraging its customers to think about their water use and get into good water saving habits now for the future.

Doug Clarke, Severn Trent’s Water Resource Lead, said: “While the world has certainly changed over the last 60 years, one thing’s for sure, we can all still learn a thing or two about saving water from those in the sixties.

“Today we’re likely to bath or shower more, be watering our garden more often with sprinklers, have bigger paddling pools and while no one wants to stop people washing their hands, having showers or even having fun with water, we really want to encourage people to maybe be a bit more sixties, and a little less 2020s in how they think about their water use.

“There are loads of really simple ways to save water – you can use a water butt to harvest rainwater which you can then use to water your plants and garden, turn the tap off while your clean your teeth, reuse your washing up water on your plants or use a bucket and sponge to clean your car,” said Doug.

“And super soakers might not have been around in the sixties but they’re great fun for kids and grown-ups, and use a heck of a lot less water than giant paddling pools!”

Some of the top ways you can save water include:

Putting the garden hose or sprinkler away; a brown lawn quickly bounces back to green when it rains again;

■ If you’ve filled your paddling pool up, keep the water for the next day by simply covering it. This will also help keep any creepy crawlies out!

If you’ve got a traditional toilet without the two button flush, order a free Buffaloo from Severn Trent that’ll reduce how much water you use each flush.

You can also get your hands on some free water saving devices, visit stwater.co.uk/savewater