Thames Water has told families to weed their gardens to cut down on their usage, despite leaking 585 million litres every day.
In a list of ‘spring water saving tips’, the company also urged people to use watering cans, water their plants less often, and take shorter showers.
The advice is part of a bid to make sure families save water throughout the year, particularly in the run-up to the summer months when demand soars.
Another tip sees Thames Water encourage its customers to turn off taps while brushing their teeth.
The company also suggests collecting rainwater off roofs in a water butt which can then be used on plants.
Thames Water has told families to weed their gardens to cut down on their usage, despite leaking 585 million litres every day (pictured: the water treatment station in Bledington village)
In a list of ‘spring water saving tips’, the company also urged people to use watering cans, water their plants less often, and take shorter showers (pictured: the entrance to the sewage treatment site at Bledington)
Bledlington in the Cotswolds, where the lengthy Thames Water leak continued for 338 hours straight
The string of advice comes after it was reported by The Guardian that Thames Water expected to leak 585 million litres of water a day this financial year.
This figure was an increase on the 550 million litres previously projected to be leaked.
It also comes amid a row over the company’s leaking of raw sewage into British rivers and seas.
In March, MailOnline revealed Thames Water had been leaking raw sewage into Bledington Brook, near Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire for 338 hours straight.
Locals said they feared untreated sewage being pumped into the river in the idyllic Cotswolds village for two weeks was poisoning their dogs, killing bees and harming farmers’ crops.
Ministers also warned ‘arrogant’ Thames Water bosses that taxpayers must not bail them out amid fears customers face a 40 per cent hike in bills.
Michael Gove said the firm must ‘carry the can’ for years of ‘serial mismanagement’ that left it £15billion in debt, after a bombshell report revealed water companies pumped record amounts of raw sewage into British rivers and seas last year.
The Communities Secretary said it was a ‘disgrace’ the firm had been ‘taking out profits and not investing as they should have been’.
Bledington village green in Gloucestershire – the idyllic village which is suffering severe sewage overflows
Discharge into the River Thames at Thames Water-run Crossness sewage treatment works in east London in March, where sewage was pumped into the waters for nearly six hours
Michael Gove (pictured) said the firm must ‘carry the can’ for years of ‘serial mismanagement’ that left it £15billion in debt, after a bombshell report revealed water companies pumped record amounts of raw sewage into British rivers and seas last year
The intervention came amid fresh fears about the future of Thames Water, after it emerged that an expected £500million injection by shareholders will not be coming at the end of the month.
Disgusted Bledington residents were not surprised Thames Water’s own data showed the raw sewage at the site – less just 30 yards from a school playground – for two weeks, as they say the issue has been ‘on and off’ for about a year.
Thames Water said untreated discharges were ‘unacceptable’ but blamed high rainfall and groundwater conditions for the sewage spills.
Helen Marshall, from environmental charity CPRE Oxfordshire, told The Sun: ‘We all need to save water.
‘This company appears tone deaf to needs of customers and our environment.’
A Thames Water spokesperson said: ‘We’re committed to helping our customers use water wisely. We live in a water stressed region and every year share a range of seasonal water saving tips to help people reduce water use inside and outside the home.
‘Finding and fixing leaks remains a top priority for the business.
Discharge is seen flowing into the River Thames at Crossness sewage works last month
Total hours water companies in England leaked sewage into rivers, lakes and the sea in 2023
‘We’re repairing over 1,000 leaks per week – that’s one leak every 10 minutes.
‘Over the next two years we’re investing £200 million to replace water mains and cut down on leaks.
‘In London, we’re replacing 70 miles of our leakiest water mains pipes, having met additional requirements set out by our industry regulator.’
