Water facts

12:29pm Thursday 17th April 2008

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l It is estimated that we buy three billion bottles of water each year in the UK - most of it in non-recyclable containers which can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

l Water is heavy and transporting bottles of it around the country is estimated to create more than 33,000 tons of C02 emissions - equivalent to the annual energy consumption of 6,000 homes.

l A litre of tap water costs less than 1p. According to the Consumer Council for Water, an adult drinking the recommended eight glasses a day would pay £1 a year from the tap compared to £500 for a mid-range mineral water.

l In the north west we enjoy some of the highest quality tap water in the world.

l Hundreds of samples of water are analysed by specialists each day.

l There are no proven health benefits of bottled water over tap