Image Credit: Matthew Bowden
Saving water isn't only for times of drought; we cannot afford to waste this precious resource at any time. There are two very good reasons for saving water at the moment.
To help you to save water, many water suppliers in the UK offer you water saving freebies - bag-type water savers which you can put in your toilet cistern, meaning that you use less water every time you flush. The Hippo Water Saver and the Bufaloo Cistern Bag are the most popular ones.
If your local water company does not offer one of these devices, it is possible to put a brick (or half a brick if you have a small cistern) or large pebble in your cistern to acheive the same effect.
However you should always be careful that anything which you put in the cistern does not affect its working. Hippo Water savers can also be bought quite cheaply from Amazon and Low Energy Supermarket.
Many UK water companies will also give you, free water-saving gadgets for taps and showers as well such as tap aerators and water saving shower heads, which mean that you use less water when you have a shower or when you are running the tap but you won't notice the difference.
Many companies will also offer you shower timers to help you know how long you have been in the shower and can limit the time that you spend showering, saving water in the process.
When applying for these free water saving devices, you will only be eligible to recieve devices from your own region's water supplier.
Most now require you to download the Get Water Fit app which is available for iOS and Android.
If you are not sure which is your water company there is a handy find your supplier tool here.
Hertfordshire based Affinity Water customers can request a free Buffaloo Cistern Bag, water-saving shower heads and a shower timer.
You may be a customer of Affinity Water if you live in the North West London, Hertfordshire, some parts of Essex, parts of Buckinghamshire or on the Kent coast near the River Dour.
Bristol Water , which covers the Bristol region of the South West offers a free water saving kit including tap inserts, Buffaloo Cistern Bag, shower regulator and shower timer as well as swell gel for gardeners and a toothy timer.
You can also get a leaky loo detector strip to check that your loo isn't leaking and wasting water.
Cambridge Water is a small company that covers the City of Cambridge and the surrounding towns and villages.
Cambridge Water offer water saving freebies via the Get Water Fit app.
Essex and Suffolk Water offer a water saving kit which includes free a shower regulator, shower timer and a tap inserts, as well as a toilet leak detector.
Visit the website to order these.
If you live in Portsmouth, South East Hampshire and parts of West Sussex, this may be your water company.
Portsmouth Water offer customers in it's region a big selection of water saving devices via Water Saving Kit.
Severn Trent Water offer a free water saving kit via the Get Water Fit app to customers as well as offering subsidised water butts for gardeners to collect rainwater.
Severn Trent cover from the Bristol Channel to the Humber, and from the Welsh border to the East Midlands.
Kent-based South East Water have a selection of free water saving devices for their customers, including a shower head and regulator, cistern bags, tap insets and a toothy timer.
Southern Water use Save Water Save Money, and you can choose from water saving showerheads and tap inserts, tooth brushing timers, a leaky loo detector, a cistern abg and much more.
Southern Water is responsible for the public wastewater collection and treatment in Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, West Sussex, East Sussex and Kent,
South Staffs Water offer free water-saving gadgets via the Get Water Fit app.
Their patch includes parts of the West Midlands, South Staffordshire, South Derbyshire, North Warwickshire and North Worcestershire areas.
SES Water covers parts of Surrey, Kent and south London.
They do not currently appear to be offering any water saving devices to their customers..
South West Water customers can apply for a toilet cistern insert, replacement shower head and shower and tap inserts as well as a shower timer, via the Get Water Fit App.
If you live in Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Dorset and Somerset, yo may be a customer of South West Water.
Thames Water covers most of Greater London, Luton, the Thames Valley, Surrey, Gloucestershire, north Wiltshire, far west Kent.
They do not appear to offer any water saving devices at present.
United Utilities will send customers a free water saver pack via the Get Water Fit app.
United Utilities customers live in Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside.
If you live in Wales, this is your water company, as well as some parts of England along the Welsh border.
Welsh Water/Dwr Cymru Cyf also use the Save water Save Money app to provide water saving kits to their customers.
Wessex Water customers can request a selection of watersaving devices including shower timers, a Save-a-flush and water aeraters
They cover parts of South West England, including Bristol, most of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire.
Yorkshire Water covers not only all of Yorkshite but parts of Lincolnshire and Derbyshire too.
Yorkshire Water Customers can order a free water saving pack which includes a Buffaloo cistern bag, shower regulator, 4 minute shower timer and leaky loo strips.
Have we missed an eco-friendly offer from your water supplier? Do let us know so that we can add it to this list.
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