Household water efficiency measures should be included in the upcoming Government spending plans along with greater investment in Trading Standards, says the Bathroom Manufacturers Association (BMA). In a pre-budget submission, the association has set out the bathroom sector’s priorities and detailed a number of ways public spending can be used to help drive down domestic water use.

It specifically calls for a National Retrofit Strategy to ensure water efficient bathroom fittings are installed in every home in the country in the next two decades.

BMA Chief Executive, Tom Reynolds, says: “Water scarcity is a crucial issue for the UK, as climate change and population growth are predicted to create a structural deficit in water resources by 2050. Government has a strategic goal to reduce our average water use from 143 to 110 litres per day, but this requires action in every home in the country, as well as behavioural change.

“This is important to bathroom manufacturers as a secure supply of water is needed for our products to be functional and we already have the water fittings that can help make a difference. We are calling on public policy makers to address water saving on a national scale with a national retrofit strategy.”

The bathroom sector is also calling for an uplift in funding for local trading standards teams to support their vital work reducing risks to consumers and removing unsafe products from the UK market. Between 2010 and 2018 local trading standards departments budgets were cut by up to 60%.