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With temperatures set to soar this week, Severn Trent is reminding its customers about its challenge to save water and make £1 million for charity.  

As the challenge enters its final, and hottest week, the company is encouraging all of its 8 million customers to save water. If, collectively, 150 million litres of water is saved on average, daily, throughout June, the company will pay £1 million to charities across the region.

Daisy Powell, Community Fund Manager said: “Our charity challenge is coming into its final week now, which also happens to be the hottest week of the month, so every drop counts! At the end of May, we saw the highest demand for water we’ve ever had for three days in a row, and it’s set to get even hotter this week. With more hot weather here, we want people to use less, especially in the garden, because, if everyone uses a bit less, we can make a big saving.”

Severn Trent has been monitoring usage across its region since the start of June, and its latest figures show that, last week, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire used less water than the week before, taking its reduction higher, with Derbyshire and Leicestershire using more water than the previous week, seeing its county reduction decrease. 

Total % reduction in June

• Cheshire  8.0%
• Derbyshire 9.3%
• Leicestershire 8.8%
• Nottinghamshire 10.9%
• Shropshire 9.5%
• Staffordshire 8.0%
• Warwickshire 8.7%
• West Midlands 7.4%
• Worcs & Gloucs 9.7%

Some of the charities that stand to receive donations if everyone uses a little less water include Barnardo’s, Crisis, Macmillan Cancer Support and local branches at Age UK and Mind.

Claire Rowney, Executive Director of Fundraising, Marketing and Communications at Macmillan Cancer Support said: “With coronavirus dominating every aspect of our lives, it’s important that cancer does not become the ‘forgotten C’. A donation from Severn Trent through customers reducing water usage would help ensure we can continue to fund local services and provide cancer care and support, now and in the future in the area.” 

Some of the top ways you can help save water, and make money for a local charity, include:

• Not using the sprinkler every day; lawns are really resilient and will quickly bounce back to green when it rains again;• Water the plants with a watering can, instead of a hose – this will help save loads of water, and avoids over-watering them;

• Have fun in your garden but keep an eye on how much you’re using the paddling pool – an average pool uses as much as three people would use in a whole day. So make sure you cover it up with a bed sheet, and reuse it the next day;

• If you’ve got a traditional toilet without the two button flush, order a free Buffaloo from Severn Trent that’ll reduce how much water you use each flush; and

• Filthy cars are the new fashion – as long as you’re keeping your windows, mirrors and lights clean maybe your car would like to get a little dirty for a changeFor more information on how to save water, visit stwater.co.uk/watersavingtips.