I WAS pleased to read Mike Taylor’s letter last week (HAS, Apr 12) about water waste, a very timely letter given that it’s Water Saving Week from April 29 – May 3.

Saving water is very important to us here at Northumbrian Water, and it’s great to have people championing the cause.

While we can’t force a water meter on those who own pressure washers, it has been compulsory for all new homes to be fitted with a water meter since 1990, and those who want a water meter can have one fitted free of charge.

Collecting rainwater in a water butt to use on your garden is one of the best ways to save litres of treated tap water, and can help lower the bills of those customers who are already on a water meter.

We work hard to raise awareness of other small changes that our customers can make in their home, aiming to reduce water consumption by 5.7 per cent per person, per day by 2025, and will even come out and fix leaking toilets for free – one of the biggest wastes of water in the home.

For more advice and tips, including free water saving kits and meter requests, customers can visit our saving water pages at www.nwl.co.uk.

Tim Wagstaff, water efficiency manager, Northumbrian Water