TV presenter Simon Reeve gives Norfolk school children a lesson on why we should all be saving water

  • Simon Reeve told ITV News Anglia's Raveena Ghattaura about the campaign

A TV presenter has been teaching primary school pupils about how to conserve water, amid warning that urgent action is needed.

Simon Reeve told children from Ingoldisthorpe Primary School in Norfolk that saving water had never been more important, with the Environment Agency warning that within 25 years England will not have enough to meet demand, unless action is taken.

He was visiting the school to support the Journey of Water campaign, which aims to help raise awareness of where water comes from, why it is such a precious resource and how it can be saved at home. 

It was designed to take the children through the journey of water, bringing to life key stages of the water cycle and how freshwater travels from places like wetlands to homes.

Television presenter Simon Reeve speaking to children from Ingoldisthorpe Primary School. Credit: ITV Anglia

"We do have a problem with fresh water in this country and we don't have enough of it, and what we do have we need to protect and preserve," said Mr Reeve.

"If present trends continue, the warnings are quite serious that we will really start having water shortages over the next few decades.

"So we really want to start training ourselves to protect what we have and not use quite as much water individually."

East Anglia is the driest region in the UK and is considered to be "seriously water stressed."

Growing populations and climate change are continuing to put fresh water supplies under severe pressure, so turning off the taps has never been more important. 

Ingoldisthorpe wetland park in west Norfolk was built four years ago. Credit: ITV News Anglia

Here are some ways to save water at home:

  • Having a short shower instead of a bath can save 20 litres;

  • Cutting your shower time by just one minute saves around eight litres of water - the shorter the shower, the more water saved;

  • Turning off the tap when brushing teeth saves six litres per minute;

  • Not pre-rinsing dishes before loading a dishwasher can save 1,000 litres of water a year;

  • If you have a dishwasher, it can save 6,800 litres per year compared to hand-washing;

  • If you have a car, wash it with a bucket instead of a hose and save up to 220 litres per car wash.

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