Brits are being urged to keep a jug of water in the fridge and wash their dogs outside, as a drought has been declared across large parts of the country.
Eight areas of England were formally declared in a drought on Friday, August 12, due to high temperatures and low rainfall.
Devon and Cornwall, Solent and South Downs, Kent, south London and East Sussex, Herts and north London, East Anglia, Thames, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, and the East Midlands were affected, according to the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs.
As members of the public and businesses are being urged to use water wisely, Water UK reminded the public of how they can do their bit, whether in an area affected by drought or not.
The organisation’s Water’s Worth Saving campaign provided a reminder of the basics for households, such as taking a shorter shower, checking leaky taps and loos, and swapping your hose for a watering can in the garden.
We’ve rounded up a few less obvious water-saving tips to help you do your part.
Keep a jug of water in the fridge
As temperatures rise, it’s important to keep hydrated - to keep ourselves healthy and avoid heat exhaustion.
Most people go for a cool glass of water as their preferred refreshment. However, it often necessitates running the tap until it turns cold.
Water UK suggested keeping a jug of chilled water in the fridge ready to drink, to prevent wasting water while waiting for the tap to cool down.
Reuse cooking water
Boiling food items like pasta, rice or vegetables will leave you with a pot of water that many of us would typically tip down the drain.
However, the water leftover from cooking can be used for watering the plants - as long as it’s not salted.
When the water is cool, it can be used to hydrate your greenery while giving it a boost from nutrients lost from the food in the boiling process.
Wash the dog outside instead of in a bath
If you own a dog, washing them outside instead of the bath during warmer weather - assuming your area does not have a hosepipe ban in place - is a great way to get the most from water supplies.
Excess water can be soaked up through the grass, meaning your lawn is getting some hydration, too.
If it’s your plants that need watering, clean off your pooch in a paddling pool then use the excess water on any indoor or outdoor plants.
Only turn on your washing machine and dishwasher when it’s full
Washing machines and dishwashers are household items difficult to live without, but they also use up a lot of water per usage.
The average dishwasher uses 10 litres of water per cycle, while the typical washing machine uses 60 litres per run.
To combat waste through these two appliances - and save energy - only turn on each of them when they’re stacked or packed full.
Cover up your paddling pool and refill it less often
Don’t forget to keep the water in your paddling pool for another day or reuse it to water your flowerbeds.
It’s worth covering up your paddling pool when it’s not in use to prevent water evaporation.
A drought is defined as a prolonged period of water shortage, which occurs after long stretches of little or no rain.
"All water companies have reassured us that essential supplies are still safe," Water Minister Steve Double said in a statement.
"We are better prepared than ever before for periods of dry weather, but we will continue to closely monitor the situation, including impacts on farmers and the environment, and take further action as needed."
By Friday afternoon, temperatures are to soar as high as 35C in southern areas of the UK, which will be hotter than the Bahamas, Jamaica and Barbados.
An amber warning for extreme heat from the Met Office is in place for much of England and Wales until Sunday, with warnings of health impacts and disruption to travel.
The National Drought Group, made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key representative groups, joined by Water Minister Steve Double, met today to discuss the response to the driest summer in 50 years and the continued action needed.
The group discussed the current outlook and the associated risks and impacts and agreed to further collaborative work across sectors to balance water needs and conserve water.
At the meeting, the Environment Agency said that the drought trigger threshold had been met to move parts of the South West, parts of Southern and Central England, and the East of England into drought.
The triggers used to confirm today's move to drought status for these areas include the hydrological position (including rainfall, river flows, groundwater levels, reservoir levels, and the dryness of soils), as well as the impacts these conditions have on public water supply, abstractors (including farmers) and the environment.
This is determined by the Environment Agency at a local level, rather than nationally.
