Water company Vitens and the Overijsssel and Gelderland water boards have started an awareness campaign in an effort to head off a water shortage in the coming months following last year’s extreme summer temperatures.

Research by Kantar Public on behalf of Vitens has shown that the Dutch think their water consumption is around 60 litres a day when in reality they use twice as much.

Vitens has published a number of tips on its website to increase awareness of water consumption, with water use in bathrooms and gardens topping the list.

Cutting showering time by one minute can lead to 40 litres of water saved in a week, the company said, while using the right amount of water to flush the toilet also helps.

Timely repair of leaking taps will also save water as will closing the tap while brushing your teeth, the companies says. They also want keen gardeners to do more to collect rain water. Only a third of people with gardens currently use rain barrels to store water.

Lats year’s extreme summer temperatures led to a 30% increase in water consumption over a number of weeks, the water boards calculated.

This has prompted the planting of tens of thousands of trees in Twente which will retain water. In addition, farmers who implement measures to prevent drought can qualify for a subsidy of up to an extra €10,000.