RESIDENTS of Richmondshire are urged to take home a hippo to help conserve water.
The devices fit into toilet cisterns to ensure that less water is used each time the loo is flushed, saving about three litres per flush.
To coincide with World Water Day, on Thursday, hippos have been available from district council community offices in Colburn, Leyburn, Richmond, Reeth and Hawes, and from information points at Catterick Village and the Hive centre at Catterick Garrison.
If homes are found for all 1,000 hippos, 9,000 litres of water could be saved each day in Richmondshire - the equivalent of 100 baths.
Helen Harper, the council's policy officer for sustainable development, said: "Using water-saving devices such as hippos is a really quick and easy way to help minimise wasted water and contribute towards protecting the long term sustainability of our water supply.
"For people on metered water, using hippos can also generate a significant saving on water bills."
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