ONE IN five Southampton residents admit they have no idea how much water they use, according to a new study.

The average UK household uses 350 litres per day, but Southampton households estimate they use just 137 litres – an underestimation of 61 per cent.

The survey, commissioned by the Water Regulation Advisory Scheme (WRAS), found that when it comes to Southampton’s bad water habits:

- 30 per cent admit to not reusing water when preparing food

- 28 per cent enjoy a deeper bath than necessary

- 19 per cent are guilty of filling the kettle with more water than they need

Washing machines are one of the biggest culprits of water usage, using approximately 50 litres per wash, with older machines using even more than this. Some 98 per cent underestimated this amount, assuming 17 litres per load, on average.

When it comes to the bathroom, the average time Southampton residents spend in the shower is six minutes 53 seconds, which could use up to 83 litres of water. The average time the tap is left running whilst brushing their teeth is 42 seconds, which could be wasting eight litres of water in the process.

Julie Spinks, managing director of WRAS, said: “Although half of Southampton homes have a water meter, research shows that people are still not giving a huge amount of thought to their water usage at home, even if it could save them money and help the environment.

"There is still a long way to go in convincing most households to be more conscious of their water consumption.

“Many water companies give away water efficiency products to customers for free, yet 44 per cent don’t have any kind of water saving device at home.

"Products such as toilet leak detection strips, shower timers and cistern displacement devices can save litres of valuable water, and WRAS supports the use of compliant plumbing products that use technology to automatically reduce water and energy consumption, without people even noticing a difference.”

“UK water regulations aim to keep our water supply safe and prevent wastage, so we’re keen to raise awareness of how everyone – plumbers, consumers and manufacturers - can play a part in saving water.”

Visit www.waterwise.org.uk/save-water/ for top tips on how to save water.