Tips For The Summer

With all the hot and dry weather around this summer, have you done your bit to help water companies to supply us?

At the time of writing this, water companies say that we have enough water but, we are using it faster than it can be treated and supplied to us!

We can all help by:

• Taking showers and NOT baths- a 5 minute shower uses 40 litres of water (half the volume of a standard bath)

• Not washing the car- but remember to keep registration plates, lights and windows clear

• Don’t water lawns. Although they look dead, they will grow back quickly when it rains

• Turn off the tap when you clean your teeth. A running tap uses up to nine litres of water a minute

• Use a watering can in the garden NOT a sprinkler or a hosepipe. Sprinklers and hosepipes left running can use between 500 and 1,000 litres of water an hour

• Fit a water butt to collect rainwater off your roof. Water butts store 200 litres of water. Using rainwater reduces the amount of treated water you use. Plants prefer rainwater anyway!

Going on holiday in August? Have you got anyone to look after your houseplants while you are away? If not, don’t forget to move your houseplants in a cool, shady room or in a shady spot outside. Then by giving them a good soak before you go, they should last for a week or two until you get back.