Get Water Fit: West Sussex charities urged to sign up to benefit from Portsmouth Water campaign

Chichester, Bognor Regis and Littlehampton are the main areas served by the company in West Sussex and it is this area it would particularly like to target for the campaign.

Households earn virtual coins for local charities by taking simple steps to reduce their water use, and in just three months, £6,000 has been raised for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, Rowans Hospice in Waterlooville and Beacon Food Bank in Havant.

The list of charities is updated every three months and Portsmouth Water is keen to ensure charities in its supply area in West Sussex benefit.

Jim Barker, head of water resources, said: “I’d really like to hear from local charities in West Sussex which would like to be part of and benefit from our water-saving campaign.

“I’d encourage households to get involved, too. Not only will you be helping protect local rivers and streams but also local charities, many of which have found it challenging to raise funds during the past couple of years.

“Using less water also adds up to savings on water and energy bills, as well as reducing your carbon footprint – that’s because a third of energy in homes goes on heating water for washing, cooking and cleaning.”

Charities can get in touch with Portsmouth Water by emailing [email protected] marked for the attention of Get Water Fit.

The Get Water Fit promotion encourages households to ‘play their part and get water smart’.

Customers can benefit from free water-saving advice and support, including free water-efficient devices and an individual online session with a water saving expert, by visiting www.getwaterfit.co.uk and entering their postcode.

Portsmouth Water said the campaign is particularly important in this area, as people tend to use much more water than elsewhere – typically, 154 litres per person per day, compared 127 litres elsewhere in the south east.

Water resources in the region are under pressure from population growth, house building, the impacts of climate change and the need to take less water from the environment to protect local streams and rivers, and the wildlife which relies on them.

Portsmouth Water said last year, it drove down the amount of water lost through leaks on its pipes by nearly 20 per cent, to the lowest on record.