AS THE Midlands is set to bask in a heatwave, Severn Trent is urging people to use water wisely and not waste this valuable commodity.
The mercury is set to top 25°C today, with temperatures remaining around that for all of Saturday and Sunday before increasing to around 27°C on Monday, peaking at 28°C on Tuesday and it staying around 25°C for the rest of next week.
The provider says using paddling pool water to keep the garden looking green, switching off the tap while brushing your teeth and cutting a couple of minutes from your morning shower are just a few recommendations from Severn Trent to help people reduce water use during warm weather to avoid a surge in demand.
Simple actions will help ensure there’s enough water for everyone, whilst helping to save money on bills too.
Heather Hateley, Water Efficiency Manager at Severn Trent said: “We always see a big jump in demand for water when the weather hots up, so with temperatures expected to climb in the coming days, we want to remind customers to use water wisely to make sure there’s enough for everyone to do the essential things like drinking, cooking, and cleaning.
“With so many more people still working from home and the school holidays just over the horizon, loads of families are getting the paddling pools out and hooking up their hosepipes, sprinklers and pressure washers to get their gardens looking lovely.
“It’s these activities that can cause such a jump in demand so we’re asking everyone to reuse water wherever possible.”
Karen Gibbs, Senior Policy Manager at the Consumer Council for Water (CCW), said: “It’s important all of us use water wisely – whatever the weather – but particularly during warmer spells when our demand can soar and put extra strain on the network.
“Our research reveals that in the last six months two-thirds of us have not made an effort to use less water but there are lots of simple ways to save – whether that’s shortening our showers or opting to use a watering can rather than a hosepipe. These simple changes can ease the pressure on the environment and save us money too.”
Here are Heather’s top tips –
- 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: a sprinkler can use as much as 1,000 litres of drinking water in just one hour – which is more water than a family of four would normally use in a whole day!
- Get yourself a water butt – it’s a great way to save water when it rains, and you can use the water for your garden when it’s dry – we’ve got discounted water butts availablehere
- Think about planting water efficient plants such as Blanket flower (Gaillardia), Sea holly (Eryngium amethystinum) or Euphorbia – we’ve also got free ‘swell gels’ available on our website
- Clean your car with a bucket or with leftover water from the paddling pool, rather than a hosepipe or pressure washer, it’ll save loads of water and help keep your bills down
- Ask your children to water the plants with leftover water from their paddling pool – a fun activity to keep them entertained whilst also saving money and water
- Check to see if you have a leaky loo – we’ve got free dye tablets available here to help you see.
More information on water saving can be found by visiting https://www.stwater.co.uk/wonderful-on-tap/save-water/saving-water-made-simple/
People who spots leaks should report them at stwater.co.uk/reportaleak or by calling our Leakline on 0800 783 4444. People can now even FaceTime an engineer or send us a video to show Severn Trent exactly where the leak is and how bad it is.
