Giant bathtub in Watford as residents asked to lower water usage

Standing at 125 times the size of a regular bath, the structure wouldn't have been hard to spot.

And it was stationed at Atria Watford for a very important reason - to highlight's Watford's water wasting habits.

The town's water supplier, Affinity Water, has recently launched a campaign called SOS: Save Our Streams, which is designed to change those habits.

The bathtub is 125 times bigger than a household bath. Credit: Affinity Water

Affinity Water says it is on a mission to save the country's chalk streams, which are at risk of extinction due to the impacts of climate change and increasing demand for water from a growing population.

The UK is home to 85 per cent of approximately 200 chalk streams globally, many of which are in the south, and are home to an abundance of wildlife species such as water crowfoot, flag iris, mayfly, brown trout, kingfisher, otters and the nationally endangered water vole.

There's a belief the heritage of these streams, which boast clear water from underground springs, should be treated in the same light as the Great Barrier Reef.

But the streams are becoming increasingly endangered, because of the amount of water Affinity Water's customers are using.

The bathtub at Atria Watford. Credit: Affinity Water

Research undertaken by the supplier shows its customers use 150.46 litres of water every day, per capita consumption, whereas the national average is 142.

Of the 36,681 households in Watford, Affinity is asking customers to reduce their water use by 12.5 per cent.

The giant tub is currently on a tour of southern England, and is one of just a number of ways Affinity Water is raising awareness of the campaign.

Recently, comedians including Mark Watson and Sandi Toksvig held a gig in the River Chess in Buckinghamshire.

Sandi Toksvig in the River Chess

Jane Bellard, SOS campaign project lead at Affinity Water, said: "Chalk streams like the River Colne are incredibly rare, one of only 200 in the world.

"We are asking residents in Watford to save water equivalent to 69 of our giant bathtubs every day, to help save our streams. This is around 19 litres per household, which can be shaved off really easily, simply by turning the tap off when the water is running but not being used."

Jake Rigg, corporate affairs director at Affinity Water, added: "To help people tackle their water wasting habits we have created SaveOurStreams.co.uk, a new and helpful resource with easy, personalised tips to help us all waste less water, and free water-saving gadgets.

"Affinity Water is committed to ending unsustainable abstraction from local streams, but it must be a community effort. Saving water at home will help us do this and support our efforts towards a zero-carbon future."

Comedians Mark Watson, Eshaan Akbar, Sandi Toksvig, and Helen Arney

Affinity Water provides 900 million litres of water each day to a population of more than 3.6 million people in Hertfordshire, and other parts of southern England.

Collectively, customers are being asked to save 21 million litres per day.

Mr Rigg added: "We need to start treasuring our water now for the precious resource that it is. If no changes are made, by 2025 we will have a shortfall of 43 million litres per day.

"More and more people are understanding the crucial need for environmental protection, but it’s easy to forget what a big impact water waste has on both our carbon footprint and our local environment. Taking action needs to become part of our daily lives so that we can all contribute to the changes we need to see."