Severn Trent is urging customers in Staffordshire to help save water after record temperatures sparked rising demand in the county – which has also seen a dramatic reduction in rainfall. 

The Midlands saw the warmest spring on record and its driest in more than 50 years, followed by a blistering start to summer as the thermometer hit 34C in parts of the UK this week.

Rainfall in Staffordshire has also dropped significantly in June, with just 37% of what is normally expected, compared to around 50% in other counties in the Severn Trent region, which means there’s less water in reservoirs and rivers.

Meanwhile, demand for water has continued to rise across Staffordshire during the hot weather.

Severn Trent is now urging Staffordshire customers, including in Stoke-on-Trent, Leek and Stafford, to help to ensure there’s plenty of water for everyone this summer by following water saving tips to help reduce demand for water – which can also save them money.

Doug Clarke, Water Resources Planning Lead at Severn Trent, said: “Across Staffordshire, we’ve been experiencing record temperatures, combined with significantly lower rainfall.

“We’ve also seen higher than normal demand in Staffordshire – particularly in Stoke-On-Trent, Stafford and Leek, which has been driven by the continued hot weather.

“The drop in rainfall and increasing demand for water means we need to ask Staffordshire customers to help save water where they can.  Simple switches can make a massive difference.

“It is obviously very important to keep hydrated in the summer but there are plenty of ways we can all also be water wise. Tips include turning off taps when brushing teeth, using a watering can in the garden instead of a sprinkler and placing a jug of water in the fridge so customers can enjoy a nice cold glass, instead of running the tap.”

From March to May this year, the Severn Trent region as a whole saw just 39% of its usual rainfall average after a record-breaking warm and dry spring.

But June saw another red-hot and dry month, with little rainfall across the region, particularly in Staffordshire. 

Severn Trent’s reservoirs are one of our major sources of water, along with rivers and groundwater. Overall, our reservoirs are currently at 71% of storage capacity on average this week, but Tittesworth, which supplies the north Staffordshire area, is at 56%.

Doug added: “With less rain and record dry weather, there’s of course less water in rivers and reservoirs. But there are ways we can all save water, which will help reduce demand on everyone’s water supplies and help the environment.

“We’ve been working over the last few years to make our network more resilient, including reducing leakage by a record 16% in the last five years. 

“It’s also hugely important that we are all water wise so there’s always enough to go round.”

Other top water-saving tips include:

1. Turn Off Taps When Not in Use – Did you know that a running tap uses over SIX litres of water every minute? So, by turning them off while you brush your teeth, you’ll be saving over 12 litres of water. Similarly, if you’re washing the dishes, filling the bowl with water rather than having a running tap will help to save water.  
2. Look out for leaks Leaky loos can easily be missed as they just trickle down the back of the toilet pan but they can mean up to 400 litres of water wasted from each toilet every day.  Even dripping taps and showers can cause a lot of wasted water. So regularly check your taps, showerheads and toilets for leaks and repair them as soon as possible. To help find out if you have a leak, you can visit the Severn Trent website here. And if you do, our teams can potentially get out to you quickly and fix it for free.  
3. Use Water-Efficient Fixtures – We all love a refreshing shower, but some showers use a LOT more water than others, so consider installing water-saving devices such as efficient showerheads or dual-flush toilets, which do the same job while using less water.  
4. Try a shower timer – Showers are one of the largest users of water in a household. And while you might love singing through your set list while washing the suds out of your hair, a shower timer might just keep you on track to spend less time in there. Not only will that help lower you water bill, but it could also cut your energy bill.
5. Run Full Loads – Dishwashers are much more energy and water efficient and can save even more water and energy by selecting cooler and shorter wash cycles and by only using them when it is full, can be more efficient than washing dishes by hand. Similarly, only using your washing machine on a full load will mean less cycles and less water used.  
6. Get a water meter – Once installed, most customers make a conscious effort to use less water once they switch to a water meter. The meters mean you’ll only ever pay for what you use, putting you in charge of your bills. To see if you can apply, visit here