80,000 people sign up to new movement to Save Our Streams
Tens of thousands of people in our region have signed up to a landmark movement, pledging to reduce the amount of water they use on a daily basis.
The Colne Catchment Action Network (ColneCAN) is backing Affinity Water’s Save Our Streams campaign, which is calling on the British public to take action, waste less water and protect the UK’s precious chalk streams.
Numerous internationally rare chalk streams are situated within Affinity Water’s supply region, but these iconic natural gems are regularly at risk of drying up due to unsustainably high demand for water. However, Affinity Water’s research has shown that more than 70% of its customers are interested in reducing water use at home, and therefore the SOS: Save Our Streams campaign aims to support them with tailored advice and free water-saving gadgets.
A giant working bath, 125 times the size of a regular bath, has been touring towns and cities this summer to highlight unsustainable water wastage, with more than 60,000 Affinity Water customers signing up to Save Our Streams since the critical campaign was launched in April.
Jane Bellard, SOS Campaign Project Lead at Affinity Water, commented: “This is a significant milestone in our ambition to get as many Affinity Water customers as possible to join this movement and take action to Save Our Streams.
“The UK is home to 85% of the world’s 210 chalk streams. We need to treasure our water now for the precious and important resource that it is. Saving water at home will not only help us do this, it will support our efforts towards a zero-carbon future.”
James Champkin, host of ColneCAN, added: “As people who care passionately about the rivers, lakes and wetlands in the Colne Valley, we’re always campaigning to reduce abstraction, pollution and tackle threats to our waterways. However, every one of us also has a role to play in saving our streams and we would encourage you to take advantage of the support being offered by Affinity Water to reduce your own impact”.
Members of the public are urged to take action now and visit www.saveourstreams.co.uk where, after answering a few questions about how they use water, they can gain access to their exact household’s water-use stats, a free water-saving kit plus free leak repairs and tailored advice via video calls.