Almost half of women in Yorkshire and the Humber admit to leaving the tap running when they brush their teeth or wash up, according to a new survey.

The survey, commissioned by poverty-fighting charity Care International, has also revealed the same percentage of women, 49 per cent, run the dishwasher without it being full.

The charity carried out the research to highlight the difference between women in the UK and women in the developing world, who typically have to walk for six kilometres a day carrying 20 litres of water weighing approximate 20kg.

Sarah Taylor Peace, of Care International, said: “We want women here to show they care by walking 10,000 steps a day for a week – this is a small gesture of solidarity with women across the world, but one that could make an enormous difference to the lives of women living in poverty.”