How to play your part to save water in Sussex this autumn: handy tips from Southern Water

Autumn has arrived. As the air gets chilly and the sun sets sooner, many of us long for bygone summer days. But for your local rivers and water sources, this time is precious.

Few of us welcome wet weather with open arms. Yet, here in the South East, we rely on winter’s gentle drizzle to keep our water sources topped-up for the rest of the year. Today’s rainfall is actually next summer’s water supply.

The water you use each day comes from natural sources like nearby rivers and underground stores deep beneath your feet. The wetter months allow these sources to recover from dry spells and spikes in people’s water use during the summer. Without this refill season, these sources could dry up completely and leave your area in short supply. This year has been drier than most, so we need a lot more rain over the coming months to top these rivers and stores back up.

You may be surprised, but even on rainy days, using water wisely will help make sure there’s enough for everyone – including the plants and wildlife that rely on these water sources too.

The less water you use in the wetter months, the better chance you give your local water sources to bounce back before next summer, so we can all rely on them for a long time to come.

An ear to the ground, all year round

We know asking customers to save water would be unfair unless we’re doing all we can to stop water going to waste too. That’s why our leak detection team works all year round to find and fix leaks on our 8,640 miles of water mains – that's almost the same as the distance from England to Australia.

As well as teams on the ground lifting meter covers to listen for leaks, we’re making major investments in leak-fighting technology – in fact, most of our water meters are now fitted with leak alarms, which are already helping us save millions of litres of water each day.

This is all part of our mission to halve leakage by 2050. You can help us get there – please report a leak online or by calling 0800 820 999 if you spot one.

The leaves are falling, but what about your bills?

When autumn arrives, we all want to stay cosy. The heating goes up, the kettle goes on and – unless you’re careful – your household bills can creep up. Using less water is one way to help keep them down. Here are our top autumn savers:

- The timely butt – With wetter months ahead, now’s the perfect time to fit a water butt so you can start collecting rainwater for free. A single butt can hold up to 200 litres, so you’ll have your own supply ready to use around the garden come rain or shine. Rainwater is rich in nutrients, so your plants will love it too.

- The smarter brew – only boil the amount of water you need. This can cut the energy cost of boiling your kettle by a third. In fact, if everyone did it, the UK could save more than £1 million a week.

- The winning sweep – The leaves are starting to fall. Instead of using a hose to clean your patio, pathway or drive, use a broom to sweep away unwanted leaves, branches, grit and grime. Now is a good time to check your drains and gutters too – leaves and other falling vegetation can clog the passage of water and cause damp or flooding.

Simple, everyday changes like these will help your local water sources bounce back, so everyone has enough when the warm weather returns. It all makes a difference.

Learn more and discover other ways to save at southernwater.co.uk/save-water.