A tap that sends the water flowing through it into a swirling vortex pattern could help reduce the amount of water used by households.

The designer of the Swirl tap claims the hollow vortex of water created by the faucet can save around 15 per cent more water than standard taps.

He claims that it is also more comfortable to use as the water does not pour out in a solid jet.

The Swirl tap sends water from the tap in a symmetrical design that apparently saves 15 per cent more water

Simin Qiu, a student at the London Royal College of Art, said he hoped the design might become popular in hotels and homes.

He said: 'It's a very simple design. I've used two turbines to create the effect, with one making the water flow clockwise and the other anticlockwise.

'The spiral is an organic shape water takes in nature and I wanted to recreate that.

'It is more comfortable on people's hands because it's not flowing in a solid line. My design changes the angle the water hits your hands at and it's smoother.'

Mr Qiu is curerntly testing a prototype of his tap, which took him two months to design.

It uses turbines that spin in opposite directions inside the valve at the mouth of the tap to send thin streams of water spiralling down into the sink.

The Swirl tap uses two turbines inside the faucet (left) to send the water into a spiral. The graphic on the right shows how the turbines fit together with push value to provide a spinning vortex of water onto the users hands

The tap works by pressing a single button on top, allowing water at a preset temperature to flow out of the tap

The tap is operated by touching a switch on the top. Mr Qiu says the desing allows water to come out at the same pressure as a standard faucet but uses less water.

However, the temperature from the tap has to be preset so that the water coming out will always be the right temperature.

Mr Qui added: 'I hope it will be ready by the end of the year.

'It will be more expensive than ordinary taps, it's not something that will be in every home.

'It's a luxury product that will probably be in hotels and limited use in homes by next year.'