PEOPLE are being encouraged to drink tap water rather than bottled as part of a new environmental campaign.

United Utilities, the region's water giant, said it wants to draw attention to the huge environmental and cost advantages of drinking tap water.

It is estimated that three billion bottles of water are bought in the UK each year - most of it in non-recyclable containers which can take up to 1,000 years to biodegrade.

But United Utilities said that the quality of tap water in the area was "excellent."

Philip Green, UU chief executive said: "At a time when we are facing such huge environmental challenges, buying bottled water at the rate of three billion bottles a year in the UK is clearly unsustainable.

"It's no longer cool' to be carrying around the latest bottle of designer water.

"What we should be carrying are 'bottles for life' which we keep on filling with our excellent tap water."

He said that the "tap into water" campaign will focus on restaurants, urging the hospitality trade to make it much easier for diners to opt for free tap water.

United Utilities has more than seven million customers in the North West.

Mr Green added: "I very much hope that the hospitality industry will recognise their customers are environmentally aware and offer them free tap water without prejudice.

"I can't see the logic in spending money on bottled water when we have such high quality water available on tap."

Phil Woolas, the Environment Minister, is backing the campaign.

He said: "We've got some of the best tap water in the world here and we should rightly be proud of that.

"There are more than a billion people in the world without access to safe water, and yet, here we are with pure water on tap, buying it in bottles - I believe it's morally indefensible."

Bottled drinks producer Jules Birch, from the Works With Water company in Clitheroe, said that we are lucky to have quality tap water in the area.

But she said: "We don't go around with taps on our back so bottled water is very often a convenient option.

"We all have busy lives and it is understandable why bottled water is so popular."

The tap into water campaign will be brought to the attention of more than 100 North West businesses at a major climate change conference on May 1 in Manchester.