Kitchen taps should not be left running while washing the dishes, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has asserted. According to the government body, the average household uses in excess of 100,000 litres of water every year, which amounts to 317 pints per person per day. As part of a new campaign to raise awareness of water issues, the organisation has urged homeowners to use a bowl instead of leaving the kitchen tap running when cleaning crockery as a way of saving the countrys water supply. Other advice included filling up watering cans and buckets with water from a kitchen tap when washing the car instead of using a hose.Television presenter Kate Humble, who is fronting the appeal, said by following these rules the UK can save on carbon emissions generated in the treatment and transportation of water to our taps. Last month, the Cumnock Chronicle reported Scottish Water regional communities manager Dawn McDermotts comments that kitchen tap water should be an important part of any childs back-to-school kit.