Can the humble water butt help solve a national crisis?

Often when we speak about climate change, it feels like an abstract concept, far removed from our everyday life. And yet we only need to look at recent weather patterns in the UK to realise that we are already experiencing the dramatic impacts of climate change, particularly when it comes to our water security.

Bertie Ballinger | CEN Ambassador

In 2024, the UK had one of its wettest years on record, leading to widespread flooding across England. In April 2024 alone 111.4mm of rain was recorded, well above the average of 71.9mm. Contrastingly, this April we only received 28.3mm of rainfall, ranking this spring as one of the driest on record. Undoubtedly this is already having far-reaching impacts for our farmers, our wildlife, and for us as consumers and gardeners.

We clearly need climate action to help protect our future water supply in the UK and across the world and we also need to think about how we adapt to changing weather and rainfall patterns.

The evidence shows we are not prepared for the task ahead, with many critical issues facing the water sector including underinvestment, restricted capacity for long-term water planning, and limited coordination between agencies. This year millions of people in England are in regions which have declared droughts, with further areas at risk. 

We must hold water companies to account. My provider Severn Trent has announced that they have started building a new reservoir which will store two million litres to help meet the demands of climate change and a growing local population. However, from 2023 to 2024, 13.9 million litres of water was wasted through leaks. We desperately need to improve our water storage capability, but we mustn’t forget the great gains that could be made by fixing leaks and improving efficiency. 

But what can we do to help as consumers? First, we should consider our everyday water usage, and why a hosepipe ban comes into effect. The average UK household uses 139 litres of water per day, with an estimated average of 24.6 litres used per day on watering plants. Therefore, roughly 18% of UK household water usage goes on our gardens. That’s £80 a year to keep our gardens green. What if there was another cheaper, more efficient way? Enter the humble water butt.

A water butt is simply a large container to store rainwater, added to the down stoup on a gutter. They come in many different sizes and styles, but they can usually store around 100 litres of water. By collecting rainwater from our roofs, a water butt reduces demand on the mains water during dry spells. This helps to conserve our limited freshwater supply, especially in summer when gardens and green spaces need more care and watering. With climate change leading to more extreme weather, both droughts and downpours, storing rainwater locally can ease the strain on our drainage systems too, helping to reduce surface water flooding.

As Conservatives, we believe in personal responsibility and local action. While progress was made under successive Conservative governments, more should have been done to hold water companies to account. This is not a job we should have left for Labour. Our principles of prevention and accountability must extend to safeguarding our nation’s water supply.

Water butts are a perfect example of Conservative values in action: practical, affordable, and community-minded. A small step with big potential. Across the country, millions of households using water butts could save billions of litres of water each year. In my local area, more than 9,500 free water butts have been taken up by Severn Trent, which can collectively store up to 1.9 million litres of rainwater.

It’s a small act with big potential, lowering water bills, protecting the environment, and building resilience in our communities. Let’s not wait for another drought warning. By fitting a water butt, you can take a small but powerful step toward securing your home’s water future and help tackle a national challenge, one drop at a time.

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