Five billion litres. That’s how much extra water England will need every single day by 2055, according to the Environment Agency — roughly a third of current daily usage, or about four and a half Wembley Stadiums’ worth.

The fix, it turns out, involves shorter showers and better toilet habits.

A new report led by the University of Surrey, published ahead of World Water Day on March 22, found that changing a handful of mundane household behaviours could make a serious dent in that shortfall. Researchers consulted over 100 professionals across 60 UK water sector organisations and identified the top priorities: reporting and fixing in-home leaks, reducing shower length, and rethinking toilet flushing. Four of the six highest-priority behaviours were bathroom-based.

The numbers explain why. Showers consume 6 to 15 litres per minute, and a quarter of all drinking water in UK homes goes straight down the toilet. The average English household uses 135 to 150 litres per person daily.

The government’s plan relies on demand management for 60% of the projected deficit, with the rest covered by new infrastructure — reservoirs, desalination, water recycling. But smart metering alone is projected to save only 450 million litres daily by 2050, a fraction of the gap.

Professor Benjamin Gardner, Director of the Habit Application and Theory group at the University of Surrey, noted that behavioural habits persist “even when people want to act differently, because routine, distraction and fatigue prevent conscious adjustment.”

The scale is staggering. The solution is a shorter shower.

Sources

• Changing shower and toilet habits could help close England’s five billion-liter water gap — Phys.org
• England faces 5 billion litre public water shortage by 2055 without urgent action — GOV.UK
• Water sector must understand human behaviour to tackle looming shortfall — University of Surrey