Merchants are being urged conserve their water as the heatwave dries up reservoirs.

Welsh Water has asked customers in Wales, Herefordshire and Deeside to avoid wasting water so that stocks in its 91 reservoirs can be maintained, if the hot weather continues.

Welsh Water supplies drinking water to three million people. In the last two months it has been using 40 tankers to pump 200 million tonnes of extra water into the system to meet demand, and has moved more than 1,000 million litres of water to ensure customer supplies remain normal.

This June was the hottest June on record in Wales, with temperatures reaching around 31ºc in some parts and just 24% of the average rainfall expected at this time of year.

It would take a sustained period of rain for Welsh Water’s reservoirs to return back to their usual levels.

Managing Director Peter Perry said: “We need customers to help us while the weather remains dry – not only by letting us know if they spot a leak themselves, but by only using the water they need while it’s hot, and not waste it.”

Welsh Water offers these tips for saving water at your premises:

• Keep a jug of water in the fridge so you don’t have to run the tap for as long for a cold drink

• A leaking tap can waste up to 15 litres of water a day – or 5,500 litres a year. That's enough to fill up five and a half fire engines

• Use a water butt to catch water that could otherwise be taken away through our sewerage pipes. You could use this to clean your vehicles or yard

• Water any plants or garden with a watering can rather than a hosepipe. Watering in the early morning and late afternoon will reduce evaporation and save water.