Vegetable supplier and grower Produce World has slashed water consumption at one of its sites by half.

Water meters have been fitted to all of potato washing lines at the firm’s Sutton Bridge site and a new 180m3 cold-water storage tank has been installed.

The Lincolnshire site previously had a 120m3 tank that was becoming difficult to maintain and had a high maximum daily demand at 360m3 a day.

In December 2011, Produce World Sutton Bridge used 350,000 litres of water over two days and 1.6 million litres during its peak seven-day period.

In December 2012 the meters were installed so Produce World could understand when water consumption was as its highest. As a result, the company has learned how to manage these high-use periods and subsequently installed new valves on the potato washers to minimise water loss and improve spray bars and wash-down hoses.

Water usage was once again reviewed and the data revealed that over the same seven-day period in 2012, Produce World’s peak water consumption was 160,000l, saving more than half on the previous year, with a total water usage of 980,000 litres.

Katie Stark, general manager at Produce World Sutton Bridge, said: “As industry leaders, Produce World continuously looks at avenues to work smarter. We take waste very seriously and do all that we can to reduce it as much as possible.

'To see such an impact after only a few months following the meter and water tank installations is great news for Produce World Sutton Bridge.”