Summer is finally here! Follow these tips from South East Water on keeping cool and enjoying the garden

It’s been a hot one over the last week and now that it’s officially the summer season, it’s important to stay safe in the heat, which will mean using more water.

Drinking water supplier South East Water has some top tips on staying cool and hydrated but saving water, whilst still enjoying the sun and your gardens.

– Chilling your water – filling up a bottle with tap water and keeping it in the fridge will mean you have instant access to fresh, cold water when you need it, without needing to run the tap for long periods.

– Sharing paddling pool water – if you’re looking to take a dip to cool off, get a second bang for your buck by using the water afterwards on your border, plants, and pots. Depending on the size of your pool, why not invite your neighbours to reuse it too?

– Dipping in and out of the shower – With the heat in the UK being humid and sticky, a quick shower dash is all that’s needed to cool off. We recommend showering for 4 minutes, it’ll save you money on your bills too!

– Timing when you water – plants will take up available water when they need it throughout the day by their roots. Watering in the early morning will mean there is less chance of the sun evaporating the water before they get to drink.

The wet winter and unsettled spring have meant that South East Water’s storage of rainwater (raw water) is in a great position. Raw water is then treated at one of their 88 water treatment works and then pumped out to drinking water storage tanks, which are situated all across the network. Finally, through their 9,000 miles of pipes, to our homes and businesses as cool, fresh, wholesome drinking water. As demand increases during hot periods, their sites all work flat out, 24/7, but there is a maximum that can be produced. If we are all mindful of the amount of water we use, that helps with demand not outstripping supply.

South East Water work hard, all year round, to find and fix leaks, and do their bit. The appearance of leaks always seems higher in the summertime because the ground is drier, but rest assured, they have teams prioritising the most serious leaks and on average fix around 20,000 leaks a year.

South East Water are offering these tips and many more on their website, here, because together, if everyone makes simple changes, we can make more of this summer.