PEOPLE across the region are asked to use water wisely as risen recently.

Northumbria Water reports customers across are using about 12 per cent more water than usual for August, with the region using 80 million extra litres – equivalent to 32 Olympic-sized swimming pools – on Thursday alone.

High usage during the warm weekend was expected.

Richard Sutcliffe, head of water supply, said: "Our water supplies remain healthy for this time of year but it is important people use it wisely. "The sunshine and hot weather, together with more people remaining at home, has meant we've seen an increase in levels of demand for water. We're used to managing demand and keeping the water flowing but water is worth saving and we would ask our customers to use it wisely to help us manage supplies and protect this precious resource.

He said small changes can make a big difference. If watering plants do it early in the morning or later in the evening so they can absorb the moisture and do not fill inflatable paddling pools to the top, and use the water afterwards to water the garden.