As the climate changes, let's get in the habit of saving water - The Yorkshire Post says

The events of last month show us that water is a precious commodity.

Even though downpours have come in early August, Met Office revealed that England had recorded its driest July since 1935.

That means that anything we can do to save water without relying on supplies from the tap helps us all.

Gardeners are being urged not to be complacent in the face of wet weather but to take advantage of the rain to prepare for dry conditions.

The Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) has been proactive here, warning that despite the recent rain, supplies were not where they needed to be, in the wake of two consecutive years of dry summers and winters.

The warning comes as one water company, Affinity Water, which serves 3.6 million people in parts of London and the Home Counties, said drought conditions mean it may need to introduce a hosepipe ban in the spring.

Yorkshire Water says it can never rule out a ban.

The RHS is urging gardeners to think about how they will collect and store water over the coming months, and to consider where roofs and downpipes could be used to fill water butts – which also come in slim models for tight spaces or ornamental styles for visible areas – to help reduce use of hose pipes.

Climate change means that the dry conditions we have experienced recently will unfortunately become more commonplace.

So the sooner we get into water-saving habits the better.