Water Saving Advice Published By NI Water

Northern Ireland Water (NIW) have published a number of water saving tips amid the current heatwave across Northern Ireland.

NIW said that it continually checks water levels across key reservoirs, especially during hot and dry weather as demand for water can increase significantly.

While it has published a list of 'top ten water saving tips', NIW assured that there was "still plenty of water".

The tips published by Northern Ireland Water, include:

• Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth- A running tap can use 6 litres of water per minute.

• Take shorter showers - Why not challenge yourself and your family to shower one minute quicker? In a year you could save up to 10,000 litres of water.

• Take a shower instead of a bath- One bath can use up to 100 litres of water, whereas an efficient shower uses under 50 litres.

• Use a bowl for washing vegetables - A running kitchen tap can use up to 20 litres of water every minute.

• Make full use of your washing machine - Wait until the machine is full before switching it on to save water and energy.

• Lawns are great survivors - Even when they look dry and brown, they'll spring back with the first heavy rain, so avoid watering them wherever possible.

• Turn off the tap - Simply turning off the tap while washing your hands or shaving can save over five litres of water every minute.

• Fix leaking taps - A dripping tap can waste more than 60 litres of water per week.

• Keep a jug of water in the fridge - Planning ahead means there is no need to run the water until it gets cold.

• Fill the kettle with only as much water as you need - This will save water and energy.

(MH/LM)