News

Severn Trent is encouraging customers to think ahead and start preparing for warmer weather by taking advantage of spring showers and collecting rainwater in a water butt. 

Doug Clarke, water resources manager for Severn Trent, explains: “While it might seem to rain endlessly in Britain, not everyone makes the most of the rainwater falling in their garden. Then when warmer weather comes along, many of us use hose pipes to water our gardens and clean our cars, washing away thousands of litres of clean drinking water.

“To preserve our wonderful drinking water for the everyday essentials, we’re encouraging everyone who can, to harvest rainwater by collecting it in a water butt. There are a lot of fantastic benefits to having a water butt, not only can it save you money on your water bill and reduce your household’s carbon emissions, but rainwater is also much better for your plants.” 

Monday 22 March marks World Water Day, an annual opportunity to celebrate water and raise awareness of the 785 million people living without access to safe water around the world. The theme of World Water Day 2021 is the value of water and the role that everyone has to play in protecting this vital resource. 

Over the next five years, Severn Trent will be working with its charity partner WaterAid, to help bring access to self-sufficient and clean water supply, as well as decent toilets, to over 100,000 people living in the southwest region of Bangladesh.

As part of the project, the water company will fund vital works to install and renovate toilet facilities to provide safely managed sanitation for people in those communities.

Doug added:“The past year has taught us that there are many things we cannot take for granted, and that includes water. It’s easy to forget that every aspect of our lives depends on water, and we all have a role to play to protect this vital resource. This is why we’re encouraging everyone to just make small changes, such as collecting rainwater or trying to reduce what you use, to ensure that there’s plenty of wonderful water for everyone to enjoy for generations to come!”

Severn Trent is offering water butts at a subsidised cost to help customers to become more environmentally friendly, find out more here.