Essex & Suffolk Water is encouraging its customers to use water wisely following a warm and extremely dry start to the year.
The Met Office announced this week that it has been the driest start to spring in 69 years across England and the driest March since 1961. April saw the UK receive just half of its normal rainfall.
With warm weather forecast to continue at least over the next two weeks, and the Environment Agency confirming there is a medium risk of a drought this summer, the water company is giving tips on how customers can minimise their water use particularly when using things like paddling pools, hot tubs and watering their gardens, in a bid to help protect water resources and the environment.
It's also Water Saving Week (12 – 16 May) and as part of this annual awareness campaign, the company are promoting water saving messages and highlighting high water use devices. For example, one of the large temporary garden pools can use up to 3,200 litres of water, while a hot tub can use up to 1,500 litres; which is the equivalent of 882 standard-sized kettles. That's more than ten times most people’s average daily usage in one go, on top of what they would normally use.
Using a hosepipe for one hour can use 1,000 litres of water; which is the equivalent of one-and-a-quarter bathtubs. However, keeping a water butt in your garden can collect up to 200 litres of water in a more environmentally friendly way.
Kieran Ingram, Water Director at Essex & Suffolk Water, said: “The sunshine and prolonged warm and dry weather means we have seen an increase in demand for water recently. Although our reservoir stocks are where we’d expect them to be for the time of year and we're used to managing demand, we are keen to support our customers with top tips on using water wisely.
“Try and make the most of any water you use, for example, if you’re using a paddling pool this weekend, if you’re using a standard paddling pool this weekend, you can re-use the water afterwards to wash your car or better still, providing you have not added chlorine tablets to your paddling pool, to water your plants.
"Even small changes can make a big difference, so make sure you’re doing all you can to be mindful this summer.”
Simple things people can do to help save water:
- Shorter showers – For every minute less you spend in the shower, you save around 12 litres of water.
- Use a watering can instead of a hose or sprinkler and water plants in the evening or first thing in the morning, as sun and wind can take away moisture.
- There’s no need to water your lawn – established lawns will soon recover once rainfall returns.
- Never leave your sprinkler on overnight. It is counter-productive, because when it's wet and dark, it will encourage snails and slugs to come out and they will eat your plants. A sprinkler left running use between 500 and 1,000 litres of water an hour. Instead, try using a watering can early in the morning before the sun fully rises.
- Use the eco setting – using the eco setting on your washing machine can save around 30 litres of water per wash. That’s enough drinking water for one person for around 15 days. Do the same on your dishwasher too, for extra savings!
- Check the weather and schedule your car wash for a day after it rains. Washing your car on the grass helps put the excess water to good use and try using a bucket instead of a hose.
- Dish the dirt – there’s no need to pre-rinse any plates, simply scrape and place in the dishwasher.
- If you’re out and about, please help us spot leaks. Warm weather can cause pipe damage. To save water in your area, report any leaks online you spot so that they can be fixed quickly or call 0800 526 337
Essex & Suffolk Water are on track to reduce leakage by 40 per cent by 2050; but are not being complacent. Leakage teams will be working finding and fixing leaks in the water network to help preserve as much water as possible as demand increases.
The public are asked to report leaks via the leakage portal: https://www.eswater.co.uk/report
For more information on how to save water, go to https://www.eswater.co.uk/summer