As the toilet world celebrates more than a century of flushing on Thomas Crapper Day (January 27), South East Water is urging customers to reflect on their smallest room.

Thomas Crapper dedicated his life to promoting the toilet in the 1800s before his death 100 years ago today and we all still enjoy the comfort of his legacy on a daily basis.

South East Water is encouraging customers to take a few minutes to think about how changing our flushing habits could help save water, protect the environment and reduce bills.

About a third of all water used in the home is flushed down the toilet, with older cisterns using 10 litres per flush, compared with modern cisterns which can use as little as four litres.

It is estimated up to 11,000 litres of water per household could be saved each year by fitting simple water saving devices in the water cistern. That is enough water for the daily shower of one person for a whole year.

Save-a-Flush bags, which are available free for South East Water customers, can save a litre of water with every flush when dropped into the toilet cistern. In the long-term, customers taking on home improvements or moving home are urged to think about fitting new toilets with smaller cisterns and dual flushes.

Lee Dance, Head of Water Resources and Environment at South East Water, said: “Fitting water saving devices to toilets is a quick and simple way for everyone to do their bit to save litres of water a day without a second thought – which is good both for the environment and for the wallet for households who are on a water meter.

“Thomas Crapper was a pioneer in the world of sanitation and took toilets very seriously and we could all benefit from spending a few minutes caring for our toilets. New toilets need to be inspected as over overflow pipes can leak for months without the owner knowing. A quick check to see the float inside the tank is working properly will make sure you’re not sending money down the drain unnecessarily.”