A £75 million campaign called Let’s Save Water will launch this week, urging the public to treat water as a precious resource and reduce daily usage by 28 litres per person. The initiative comes as the UK emerges from record temperatures attributed to climate change.
Campaign Details and Targets
The partnership includes water companies, Ofwat, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, and Natural Resources Wales. Funded by water companies over four years, the campaign aims to cut average daily use from about 140 litres to 112 litres—equivalent to two large buckets. Behavioural psychologists from the University of Sheffield and Swansea University are advising on the strategy.
Prof Thomas Webb, a social psychologist at the University of Sheffield, said: “The critical issue is, how do we make people believe water is an important resource? So we need to change assumptions. We need to make people aware of how much water they are using and help them see this as a collective effort, and something they can be proud of.”
Water Shortages and Public Awareness
Water shortages in England are predicted to reach 5 billion litres a day by 2055, equivalent to a shortfall of 2,000 Olympic-sized pools, due to climate breakdown, population growth, and water-intensive industries like datacentres. Research reveals that people underestimate their water use by a factor of about five, believing they use around 30 litres daily compared to the actual 140 litres. A hosepipe ban was implemented in Kent on Friday after South East Water urged customers to use water sparingly during the heatwave.
Prof Lizzie Kendon, strategic head of climate processes at the Met Office, said: “Climate change is driving increasingly extreme weather patterns, with wetter winters, drier summers and more intense bursts of rainfall. When rain falls on dry, hardened ground, much of it cannot soak into the soil, where it is most valuable, instead it runs off and is being lost. There is an urgent need for action.”
Behavioural Changes and Challenges
The campaign promotes small changes such as shorter showers, using water butts, and fixing dripping taps. Showers use 10 litres per minute, and water-saving shower heads can reduce use by up to 50%, cutting energy bills. Prof Ian Walker, head of psychology at Swansea University, said: “Ideally, what you need is a system for taking information from a smart meter, feeding it to a household in real time and combining it with meaningful information about what to do about it.” He noted that one-off changes like efficient appliances are easier to encourage than habitual behaviours.
However, public trust in water companies is at an all-time low due to record sewage pollution, drinking water outages in south-east England, and high debt levels at companies like Thames Water. Leaks account for 19% of water demand, and no new reservoirs have been built in England for 30 years. The industry has pledged to build 10 new reservoirs as part of a £104 billion investment over five years.
Criticism and Accountability
James Wallace, chief executive of River Action, said: “We welcome any initiative that encourages people to conserve water. Every litre saved helps reduce pressure on our rivers, the lifeblood of our nation.” But he stressed that water companies bear the greatest responsibility, noting that £78 billion has been paid to shareholders since privatisation and over 3 billion litres of drinking water are lost daily through leaks. “We need a fully funded national emergency plan that holds polluters and water companies accountable.”
Shas Sheehan, chair of the House of Lords environment and climate change committee, called for a credible year-round communication strategy. “That strategy must be transparent, consistent and demonstrate that water companies are taking visible steps to put their own house in order. The campaign must bring the public with it. At present, there is a clear risk that messages on reducing water use will not land as intended, given the erosion of public trust in water companies … water companies must lead by example if they are to expect sustained changes in public behaviour.”
