PLANS on how Yorkshire Water aim to work in the next 25 years have been published online.

The organisation's new Water Resources Management Plan was drafted after consultation with the Government, the Environment Agency, energy watchdog Ofwat, and about 30,000 Yorkshire Water customers, and focuses on the impact of climate change and population growth, and measures being taken to prepare the county's water resources for this.

Research showed there are likely to be another 800,000 people living in the region by 2040, which, combined with increasingly extreme weather conditions, could have an effect on water supply in 15 years if no action at all is taken.

Clare Dunlop, water resource manager at Yorkshire Water, said: "Long-term, rigorous planning is key to anticipating the challenges we could face as a company so we can maintain a reliable water supply to our millions of customers.

"Our Water Resources Management Plan gives an insight into the preparations we’re already putting in place for the next 25 years to maintain the high standards we’ve set for ourselves. At the same time, we’d like to continue to ask customers to help us manage our resources by using their water wisely."

The plan was published yesterday and has already been approved by Defra. It also ties in with the company's new water efficiency campaign Save A Little, Save A Lot, which helps the five million customers in the region use water more carefully.

Tips on using water more wisely include ensuring leaks are fixed, with Yorkshire Water planning on reducing leaks by 10 million litres a day by 2020, after already halving leakage since 1995.

The company will also invest £75 million and replace 228km of mains pipes before 2020, and will focus on areas of the region which are prone to flooding or pollution.

In the home, customers can save £30 a year by using a washing up bowl to do the dishes, £15 by putting only full loads in the washing machine, and £15 by using a watering can in the garden rather than a hose.

For more information, go to yorkshirewater.com/save-water-and-money.aspx