Yorkshire Water urges residents to cut down on usage (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

Yorkshire Water urges residents to cut down on usage

3:16pm Monday 28th May 2012 in Bradford By Tanya O'Rourke

Children in the Bradford district are being urged to learn lessons in conservation and then take them home

Bradford-based Yorkshire Water is calling on its customers to conserve water as it revealed demand has increased by about 60 million litres a day in the sunny weather.

The company’s Why Use More Than You Need? campaign has been backed by Environment Minister Richard Benyon, as figures show the average British person uses 160 litres of water every day. Pressure on healthy water stocks is expected to grow as the region’s population is forecast to grow by 800,000 people by 2036.

Yorkshire Water chief executive Richard Flint said: “With the recent record-breaking rainfall, it’s easy to forget that water conservation is still incredibly important, particularly when you think that as a country we’re using more water than ever, and populations are only set to rise, putting further pressures on water resources.

“This all means that it’s more important than ever that we become a water-efficient region, which is why we’re launching our ‘Why use more than you need?’ campaign now.”

He said the campaign aimed to drive down usage and protect water stocks but could also lead to reductions in customers’ bills.

The company will send volunteers into primary schools to spread the conservation message and highlight ways of saving water, including saving six litres a minute by turning off the tap while brushing teeth. Children will be invited to take part in a “Toothbrush Challenge”, to see how much water can be saved by turning off the tap.

Yorkshire Water hopes schoolchildren will go home and encourage their families to make sensible use of water.

Free water-saving packs are available from the Yorkshire Water website containing gadgets including flush savers – bags of crystals which are put in the toilet cistern to reduce the flush.

Environment Minister Mr Benyon, who is supporting the campaign, said: “Far too often, water is not treated like the valuable commodity it really is which is why I support this campaign and hope that it can encourage people to use water more wisely.

“Climate change and population growth is going to put even more pressure on our water supplies in the future which is why it is important that everyone plays their part in becoming more water-efficient.”

For more information, visit yorkshirewater.com.

Yorkshire Water has drawn up its top ten tips to help people conserve water.

They are: 1. Take shorter showers – the shower uses about ten litre of water a minute.

2. Get a water butt – they can collect rainwater for use on lawns.

3. Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth – this can save six litres a minute.

4. Fix leaking taps – a dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water a week.

5. Do not boil it if you will not use it – such as when boiling the kettle.

6. Fully load washing machines – a fully loaded washing machine will use half as much water as two small loads.

7. Only flush the toilet when needed – each flush uses seven litres of drinking-quality water.

8. Make gardens drought-tolerant – people can opt for drought- resistant plants that do not need much water.

9. Use a washing-up bowl – and turn off the tap when washing dishes or vegetables.

10. Keep a jug of water in the fridge – and avoid the need to run the tap to wait for water to get cold.