Britain | Metered litres

Better measurement would help reduce water consumption

British households have no idea how much water they use

LEEDS, UNITED KINGDOM - JULY 19: Youths enjoy a water pistol fight to cool offoutside their home on July 19, 2022 in Leeds, United Kingdom. Temperatures exceeded 40C in parts of England today after the Met Office issued its first red extreme heat warning. Record-breaking temperatures were reached across the UK. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Britain is parched. Hosepipe bans are already in force in some parts of the country; more restrictions are coming. The need to conserve water will intensify in the coming years. Today the country consumes about 15bn litres of water on an average day. By 2050 another 2.2bn litres will be needed to supply a bigger population and to mitigate droughts, but a drier climate means that less water will be available.

This article appeared in the Britain section of the print edition under the headline “Metered litres”

The new Germany

From the August 13th 2022 edition

Discover stories from this section and more in the list of contents

Explore the edition

More from Britain

Stock price information displayed on a board at the London Stock Exchange.

Britain’s brokers are diversifying and becoming less British

London’s depleted stockmarket is forcing them to change

Sculpture by Charles Jencks of DNA double helix Cambridge University.

What a buzzy startup reveals about Britain’s biotech sector

Lots of clever scientists, not enough business nous


Illustration of Kier Starmer facing away next to the stripes of the Union Jack and the stars of the EU flag

Britain’s government lacks a clear Europe policy

It should be more ambitious over getting closer to the EU


The Rachel Reeves theory of growth

The chancellor says it’s her number-one priority. We ask her what that means for Britain