EVERY DROP COUNTS IN WASHINGTON IS LAUNCHED

Sharon Hodgson MP, for Washington and Sunderland West, has officially launched Northumbrian Water's Every Drop Counts campaign in Washington, which will help customers to save water, energy and money from their household bills.

More than 17,000 customers of Northumbrian Water in Washington will be offered a completely free water saving visit from a qualified plumber. The visits include the installation of a number of free water saving products, and is worth up to £130.

Alongside the free water saving home visits, Northumbrian Water will be running a number of events and initiatives with the local community in Washington to spread the Every Drop Counts message. This includes local school visits from the Super Splash Heroes - an interactive play and workshop which helps children learn the importance of saving water. There will also be a number of community outreach and customer engagement events.

Mrs Hodgson was joined by the Mayor of Sunderland, Councillor Doris MacKnight, at the launch event on Friday 4 May, which took place at Washington Millennium Centre.

Sharon Hodgson, MP said: "I'm really pleased that Northumbrian Water is bringing the Every Drop Counts campaign to Washington, as it will help people to save water, energy and money. We are very lucky in the UK that water is readily available and is it important to remember that this is not the case across the world. Water is a precious and finite resource and that we should all work together to use it wisely. I encourage all local residents to get involved and take up the offer of a free water saving home visit."

Martin Lunn, Head of Technical Strategy & Support for Northumbrian Water said: "We are very passionate about working with our customers to help use water wisely. We are really proud of our long history of engaging with hundreds of thousands of our customers to help them save water, which is great for them in both helping save money on their utility bills and in protecting our environment. Our award-winning Every Drop Counts campaign is a fantastic way for customers to help ensure that our precious water resources are used as wisely as possible."

The Mayor of Sunderland, Cllr Doris MacKnight added: "As a city and a community we need to continue  working together  to help conserve all our natural resources, especially water, on which so many aspects of our daily lives depends.

"Being able to reduce your household bills at the same time with advice on how to reduce the amount of water  and energy your family uses, is a great way of encouraging  even more people to get involved, and I hope everyone supports this campaign."     

In 2017, Every Drop Counts took place in Stanley, County Durham, where 2,033 free home visits were completed. The visits themselves equated to an average of 30.2 litres of water saved, per property per day.

Washington residents will be receiving details in the post or via email inviting them to register for a free water saving visit. Visits can be booked online at https://www.nwl.co.uk/everydropcounts/, by phoning 0800 953 0130 or by emailing watersaving@nwl.co.uk

Residents will be offered appointments at a time that is convenient for them. A qualified plumber will check how water efficient your property is, and then tailor their water saving advice based on each individual household. This will include offering a wide range of free products designed to save water in the home.