The largest ever campaign to encourage the public to reduce water use in the UK launches this week, as the country emerges from record temperatures linked to the climate crisis. The £75 million publicity drive, named Let's Save Water, aims to treat water as a precious resource and targets a reduction of 28 litres per person per day from the current average of about 140 litres.
Campaign partners and funding
The initiative is a partnership involving water companies, the water regulator Ofwat, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, and Natural Resources Wales. It will be funded by water companies over four years. Water use in England and Wales is among the highest in Europe, with Germany and the Netherlands averaging 120 litres per person per day.
Behavioural psychology behind the campaign
A team of behavioural psychologists is advising the campaign to shift attitudes. Professor 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."
Research for the campaign reveals people underestimate their water use by a factor of about five: on average, they believe they use about 30 litres a day, compared to actual usage of about 140 litres.
Water shortage predictions
Water shortages in England and Wales are predicted to reach 5 billion litres a day by 2055 – equivalent to a shortfall of 2,000 Olympic-sized pools – due to climate change, population growth, and expansion of water-intensive industries like datacentres. A hosepipe ban came into effect in Kent on Friday, after South East Water urged customers to use water sparingly during the heatwave.
Professor Lizzie Kendon, strategic head of climate processes and projections 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."
Small changes to save water
The campaign calls for small everyday changes: taking shorter showers, using water butts in gardens, and fixing dripping taps. Showers use 10 litres of water per minute, and replacing the shower head with a water-saving model can reduce use by up to 50%, lowering energy bills.
Professor Ian Walker, head of psychology at Swansea University and an academic adviser, said people need to be empowered. "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 one-off changes like purchasing efficient shower heads and washing machines are easier to encourage than habitual behaviours, which constitute most water consumption.
Public trust challenges
Those behind the campaign acknowledge that public trust in water companies is at an all-time low due to record sewage pollution, drinking water outages in south-east England, and companies like Thames Water in high debt and failing legal duties. Leaks by water companies amount to 19% of water demand, and no new reservoirs have been built in England by water companies for 30 years. The industry has pledged to build 10 new reservoirs as part of a £104 billion investment over five years.
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." However, he noted that since privatisation, £78 billion has been paid to shareholders, and over 3 billion litres of drinking water are lost daily through leaking pipes. "We need a fully funded national emergency plan that holds polluters and water companies accountable."
Baroness Shas Sheehan, chair of the House of Lords environment and climate change committee, which recently called for a society-wide campaign, said the campaign must be supported by 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."
