Preston urged to plug the rain drain

It's raining, again, in one of Britain's wettest places.
Another rainy day in PrestonAnother rainy day in Preston
Another rainy day in Preston

Yet people in soggy Preston are being urged to conserve more water in case the summer brings droughts and hosepipe bans.

Rainwater harvesting is the latest recommendation for householders across the land - even in the city where it now rains every two or 
so days.

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A company called Freeflush, which promotes saving as much as possible of the wet stuff that falls from Lancashire’s grey skies, is advocating the damp folk of Preston get the buckets out.

“Although there has been an unprecedented level of flooding in the UK in recent years, there has also been a record number of hosepipe bans,” said a spokesperson.

“This demonstrates that, despite the rapid distribution of fresh water, levels overall remain consistently low.”

According to the last set of official statistics, Preston is the sixth wettest place in the UK, with rain falling on 153 days of the year.

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Only Truro in Cornwall gets more in the whole of England, with the other four soggier places being in Scotland (Glasgow) and Wales (Cardiff, Bangor and St David’s).

Over a year Preston can expect to be hit by 1,034 millimetres of rain - or three-and-a-half feet in old money. And the city can claim a record for the most rainfall in five minutes, set back in August 1893 when 32 millimetres fell on the town in a storm.

Freeflush are recommending that, while rainwater cannot replace mains water completely, it can replace enough for toilet flushing, gardening, car washing and laundry to “substantially lower your water bills.”