As visitor number rise in Eastbourne so does the town’s water use

With Eastbourne’s holiday accommodation 90 per cent full this week with people staying nearer to home, a water company is appealing to visitors and the community in the seaside town to use water wisely this summer.

South East Water has been producing more than an extra 100 million litres of water a day across its supply area to keep up with the extra demand the surge in the warmer weather has created.

Tripadvisor data revealed in March that the town is the tenth fastest growing UK destination.

Jack Brownell, Destination Manager, Eastbourne Borough Council, said: “Eastbourne has always been a popular destination for a bank holiday weekend, particularly when the weather is good, and this bank holiday weekend was no exception with plenty of holidaymakers heading for the sunshine coast.

“Our beaches were awash with families and friends enjoying the sun and the sea, responsibly and respectfully and it was a humbling sight to see so many visitors return to our town.”

The amount of water available in reservoirs and groundwater stores is good for this time of year, but as summer begins people are now increasingly using tap water for recreational activities in the garden causing an increase in demand similar to the patterns seen in a very hot summer.

South East Water is thanking its water savvy customers who are helping to spread the water efficiency message where they see water being wasted, but it is hoping that more can be done.

For example when motorways become jammed during rush-hour people often change their travel time. The company is hoping that people adopt this attitude when it comes to using larger amounts of water by avoiding the peak water use periods from 6am to 9am and 5pm to 9pm.

Steve Andrews, Head of Central Operations for South East Water said: “The average paddling pool now needs a whopping 530 litres of water to fill them - more than three times the total daily amount of water usually used by one person. This is adding to the high demand for water seen during this hot spell.

“As water’s always worth saving, we are asking people to help by putting lids on paddling pools and hot tubs so the water can be used again and leaving their lawns to turn golden as water sprinklers in one hour can use what a family of four would use in two whole days.”

Saving water means saving money too and customers can find other top tips for summer water use and free water saving devices on the company’s website.

Three water saving ideas for responsible tourists:

• Have a shorter shower turning off the water in between washing your body shampooing and conditioning hair
• Follow instructions if using hot-tubs to keep the water clean
• Reuse your towels by hanging them up to dry