A national movement is being launched to stop millions of litres of water being wasted each year through leaky loos, with Tuesday 30th April being declared ‘Toilet Tuesday′.
On Toilet Tuesday people across the UK will be encouraged to check their loos for leaks. The great news for Northumbrian Water customers is they can order a free leaky loo detection pack, and if their toilet is leaking they can get it repaired for free!
Toilet Tuesday is part of Water Saving Week, a national campaign which raises awareness of the need to use water wisely. The campaign is led by Waterwise, the national organisation focused on reducing water consumption in the UK.
The idea came from Northumbrian Water′s Innovation Festival in 2018, an annual event which aims to tackle some of the world′s major environmental and social challenges. Waterwise hosted a ‘design sprint′ at the event which looked at how everyone can reduce the amount of water they use each day.
Leaky loos are serious water wasters, losing up to 215 litres a day - which is nearly three bath tubs full! As well as a bucket loads of water going down the drain, a leaky loo can also add around £200 per year to a water bill if paid by meter. It is estimated that leaky loos cost customers £1.3m every day across the UK!
A leaking toilet is one of the most common causes of unexpectedly high water use but they can be hard to see as the water often runs from the toilet cistern into the back of the pan. The sound of a constant trickle is an obvious sign but some leaks are silent and easy to miss.
To help deal with troublesome toilets Northumbrian Water is offering a free leaky loo test kit to all of its customers. The packs contain a dye tablet that is dropped into the toilet cistern - if the colour of the water has changed after 15 minutes it means the toilet has a leak.
Customers who do find they have a leaky loo don′t need to cry themselves a river - they can arrange to get it repaired by one of Northumbrian Water′s qualified plumbers - completely free of charge!
Customers can claim their free leaky loo pack by visiting www.nwl.co.uk/leakyloo or by phoning 0800 953 0130. The website also features helpful videos on how to check for a leaky loo.
Tim Wagstaff, Water Efficiency Manager for Northumbrian Water said: "It′s great to see Toilet Tuesday, an idea generated at our Innovation Festival last year, forming a key part of this year′s Water Saving Week.
"Leaky loos waste huge amounts of water, as well as money if you are on a water meter, so take action on Toilet Tuesday and order one of our free leaky loo pack. If you do find a leak let us know and we′ll be happy to come and fix it for you!"
Northumbrian Water will have lots of useful advice and tips for customers during Water Saving Week. Every day will focus on a different ways of saving water, including Meat Free Monday (highlighting the amount of water that goes into producing the meat we eat) and Wash Wednesday (looking at how we can use less in the bathroom and kitchen).
To get involved in the conversation follow @NorthumbrianH2O on Twitter or @NorthumbrianWater on Facebook, and use the hashtag #WaterSavingWeek.