News

Severn Trent has revealed that over 2.2bn litres of water was used across its region yesterday, on the same day the Met Office issued its first ever extreme weather warning, as the country basked in temperatures reaching over 30 degrees.

This means, on average, customers used an extra 60 litres of water per person - on top of the 145 litres normally used yesterday.

The company say that while it’s reservoirs are in a healthy position, it’s seeing a day-on-day increase in demand for treated water due to high temperatures and is asking customers to use water wisely and reduce non-essential usage where possible, by making some simple changes.

James Jesic, Severn Trent Customer Operations Director: “With more people at home, many kids now off school and the hot weather here for the week, we’re seeing demand for water increase, so it’d be really helpful if people could be mindful of their water usage to make sure that there’s plenty of water for all the essentials such as cooking, drinking and cleaning.

“We absolutely appreciate that it’s very warm and we do not want to stop our customers from having fun and keeping cool but our priority must be to ensure that everyone has access to water for all the essentials, like keeping hydrated in the heat.’’

Severn Trent say that despite the high demand, its reservoirs remain in a good position, the challenge is treating and pumping water out fast enough to meet the increased demand - especially when temperatures increase and more people head into their gardens. 

“Small changes such as covering the paddling pool at night and reusing the water the next day or swapping the garden hose for a watering can might feel small, but when they’re all added up they can make a huge difference.” Adds James.

James’s top water saving tips for the heatwave include: 

• Keep hydrated;
• Have a quick shower rather than a bath to cool down;
• Avoid washing the car, but if you need to, try and use a bucket and sponge rather than a hose; If you do use a paddling pool try to cover it so you can use it again the next day, and when used use the water to water your garden;
• Don’t worry about watering the lawn, they’re great survivors and it’ll bounce back when it rains;
• Look for leaking loos and dripping taps and get them fixed; and
• Turn off taps when not in use.

More information on how to save water can be found here.