HOW CAN I HELP CONSERVE WATER?

• Don't leave taps running unnecessarily.
• In summer store drinking water in the refrigerator. Don’t let the tap run while you are waiting for cool water to flow.
• Wash fruit and vegetables in a bowl rather than under a running tap and use the leftover water to water house plants.
• When cooking don't use more water than you need in saucepans. It not only wastes water but energy too.
• Don't leave the tap running while you brush your teeth or shave.
• Bathing uses 20% of household water consumption. Take showers rather than baths. A five minute shower uses one third of the water you'll use for a bath.
• Reduce the amount of water you use to flush your toilet. If you don't have a special low-flush cistern then you can reduce the volume you use per flush by placing a brick wrapped in a plastic bag into the bottom of the cistern.
• Dripping taps can waste up to 5 litres of water a day. Replace any worn tap washers.
• When using your washing machine always try to make up a full load, as the half-load programmes use more than half the water and energy of a full-load programme.
• When using a dishwasher wait until you have a full load before starting the cycle. Incidentally, a new dishwasher uses only 40% of the water of hand-washing a comparable amount (older models use about 60%).
• Wash your car with a bucket and sponge. This uses much less water than using a hosepipe.

IN THE GARDEN

• Collect the water from your bath/shower (known as "grey water") to use on your garden.

• Use water butts to collect the rain water from your roof for watering your garden.
• Water your garden in the early morning or evening. This gives the water a chance to get down into the soil before the Sun's heat starts to evaporate it away from the surface. Besides, it's detrimental to your plants' health to cover the leaves with water drops in a strong sun.
• Fit your hose with a trigger devise so that you can direct water only to areas of the garden that need it.
• Don't cut your lawn too short in the summer. Longer grass gives shade to the soil surface and reduces the water loss by evaporation.
• Try planting up garden beds with flowers and shrubs that thrive in hot and dry conditions such as rosemary, thyme, evening primrose, rock rose, red hot pokers, Californian poppy, African and Peruvian lilies, pinks, lavenders, buddleia and hebes.
• Mulch beds with material like wood chips, bark, compost or gravel to help prevent water evaporation (and also suppress weed growth).
• When planting trees and shrubs include a vertical section of pipe (guttering downpipe is perfect for this) in the hole so that water can be directed down to the roots rather than the surface. Oh, and make sure you put a good layer of mulch over the refilled hole (but not into the water pipe).