Severn Trent customers across the West Midlands could capture almost half a million litres of rainwater a year by taking up free water butts

Since June 2024, Severn Trent teams have been going door-to-door, encouraging customers to take a free water butt to help them save on their water usage and money on their water bills.

The 200-litre water butts are provided and installed free of charge, with over 9,500 snapped up by customers - well ahead of the company’s original target of 8,000 - with 700 installed at properties in the area. This equates to 140,000 litres of storage capacity.

Severn Trent has been proactively offering the free water butts to customers who live in areas that can be badly affected by storms. As water butts hold rainwater instead of letting it run into the sewer - effectively adding capacity to the network - they can help reduce the use of storm overflows.

Water butts collect and store rainwater, offering an environmentally friendly way to keep gardens healthy during drier months. It’s also much more efficient than using a hose or sprinkler, which can use 1,000 litres of water per hour.

Following the success of the first phase, the water company is planning to roll out a second phase of this programme in the summer but is encouraging customers to get one fitted no matter the size of their garden.

Matt Lewis, who is leading the installation programme from Severn Trent, said: “Using a water butt and a watering can, can keep plants well fed during the summer and with rain forecast for later this week, this is the perfect time to get a water butt installed.

“We’ve seen a really fantastic response from customers to this project, some of whom have taken multiple water butts! 

“By being mindful about the way we use water, we can all make sure that there’s plenty available for everyone when they need it, which can be really helpful if we have a hot summer this year.

“We’re really pleased that so many people have accepted a free water butt as part of this programme and we’re hopeful that we’ll be able to offer more later this year.”

The water butts being offered by Severn Trent also include a system which allows some of the collected rainwater to be released slowly back to the environment. This can help during periods of heavy rainfall when the volume of rain can exceed the capacity of the sewer network, which in some instances can lead to sewage spills into local watercourses. 

This is just one part of Severn Trent’s ongoing spills reduction programme, which has seen interventions – ranging from upgrading pipes and valves, to installing nature-based solutions such as reed beds and creating new stormwater storage tanks – installed at over 1,500 locations.

Matt continued: “While it may not seem like much, the extra capacity offered by a water butt can play a really important role in helping to address the ongoing challenges from climate change and a growing population and help us to meet our targets to drastically reduce the use of storm overflows and encourage people to re-use water in different ways.”

For water saving tips and advice, visit stwater.co.uk and search for Saving Water Made Simple.