UNITED Utilities has employed a leaky loo ambassador to help stop people in the north west from flushing up to £400 a year down the drain.

Former UK Plumber of the Year Drew Styles, has been taken on the role to help people spot the telltale signs.

He said: “Leaking loos are a really common problem, but they are usually pretty easy to fix for a trained professional.

"Most of the time I can even get them fixed on my first visit and help stop my customers from losing water straightaway.”

Leaky loos can lose between 215 and 400 litres a day which can total up to £400 a year for customers on a meter

A survey of 1,000 people in the region was carried out to uncover the problem of leaky loos, which cost the UK a 397 million litres of lost water every day – enough to supply an extra 2.8 million people.

For more information log on to: www.unitedutilities.com/help-and-support/save-water/leakyloo