Water unites everyone on the planet, and as well as keeping us alive, it has thousands of other uses, yet we undervalue it, take it for granted and often waste it.

As many countries are now experiencing hot weather more frequently, our demand for water increases. Water companies need to act to reduce leaks and wastage, but there are also ways we can all save water around the house, as well as save money and preserve this valuable resource.

Tap water is clean, safe to drink and delivered directly to our homes. A lot of work has gone into getting it there and testing it to ensure it’s safe; we should think of this as gold-plated water. In some cases we need this, but when we come to water the plants or flush the toilet, we don’t really need to use this gold-plated water.

We can follow the principle of reduce, reuse and recycle to use less of this water and to make the most of the water we do use this summer.

Thinking of water as a valuable resource helps us recognise when we’re wasting it. A simple example is leaving the tap running while brushing our teeth. A tap in the UK can deliver 10-15 litres of water per minute, so leaving the tap running for a minute each time we brush our teeth could waste 9,000 litres per year. On a street of 70 family homes, that’s enough water to fill an Olympic swimming pool each year.

We can also use water (and energy) more efficiently by........

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