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Thames Water is encouraging people to be 'Proud to be dirty' and spend less time in the shower as part of a campaign to save water.

The Reading-based utility company handed out car stickers with the slogan on to commuters at Paddington station yesterday.

Passengers were also given four-minute shower timers to help cut their usage with people in the region spending an average of seven minutes in the shower.

John Sullivan, head of water-efficiency for Thames Water, said: “The average shower time for customers in our region is seven minutes, but we’re laying down the challenge to the good folks London and the Thames Valley to get lathered, scrubbed and rinsed in four - all in the name of saving water.”

Earlier this month Thames Water and six other companies imposed hosepipe bans with the region suffering below average rainfall over the past two years.

Under the ban customers can still clean cars with a bucket and sponge and water their gardens with a watering can, but not a hose.

Mr Sullivan said: “We’ve had some rain recently and, although for us, the wetter the better, a few wet days are not going to be enough to get us out of a drought caused by two years of below-average rainfall.

“While it may have been raining cats and dogs, really we need it to rain rhinos and reindeer for many months.”

For more information on how to save water visit www.thameswater.co.uk/waterwisely