Yorkshire residents urged to shower together due to increased hot weather water usage

Yorkshire residents are being urged to save water - including by showering together.
Yorkshire Water has encouraged showering together to save waterYorkshire Water has encouraged showering together to save water
Yorkshire Water has encouraged showering together to save water

Yorkshire Water says thirsty residents used an extra 125 million litres of water each day last weekend, a 15 per cent increase on the average.

Neil Dewis, head of water production, said: “We saw a huge spike in demand last weekend which has continued into the start of this week, presumably as people filled pools in their gardens and took extra showers due to the lovely weather.

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“Water stocks are slightly lower than we would expect at this time of year at around 75%, but that’s not surprising given the hot, dry weather we’ve been experiencing.

“So of course we want people to think carefully about how they use water. Does your car really need washing? Will your grass and plants really wither and die in a matter of days without being soaked by a sprinkler every day?

“If your pool or paddling pool is already full, it’s easy to use a sieve or fish tank net to clean out bits of grass instead of having to empty and refill it.”

Yorkshire Water today (Wednesday 21 June) launched its annual water saving campaign with these top tips:

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1. Share a shower or bath and try to keep time in the shower to a minimum. It’s easy to time yourself by singing in the shower

2. Dirty cars don’t hurt anyone! You can get away with washing just the windows, lights and mirrors; or, if you have to wash it, use a bucket and sponge, not a hosepipe

3. If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down

4. Cover paddling pools and hot tubs when not in use so the water needs changing less often. Use a fish tank net to clean out the paddling pool instead of emptying and totally refilling it every time

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5. Fix leaking taps to save up to £18 on your bill each year (that’s up to 5,500 litres of water)

6. Keep a bottle of tap water in the fridge for drinking so you don’t need to run the tap until it gets cold enough to drink

7. Established plants and lawns generally don’t need watering to get through a dry spell. This is England, it will rain soon enough! A garden hose can use more water in an hour than a family normally uses in two days

8. Water new plants and lawns with a watering can as late in the evening as possible so the heat doesn’t make the water evaporate

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9. Set your mower a level higher during summer. Keeping grass longer shades the soil surface and reduces water lost to evaporation

10. Collect cold water that runs off while waiting for it to heat up and use it to water plants or top up the water jug in your fridge

To receive a free water-saving pack, complete with shower timer and save-a-flush cistern bag, visit https://www.savewatersavemoney.co.uk/yorkshire/free-water-saving-products