ANGLIAN Water and Essex & Suffolk Water were both among the winners at the 2012 UK Water Efficiency Awards, run by the Environment Agency and Waterwise.

Regional water and sewerage services group Anglian Water won the Landscape & Gardening category for The Potting Shed, a kit developed to help and encourage gardeners to save water.

And Essex & Suffolk Water, which supplies water in mid-Essex and north Suffolk, won the Built Environment category for the sixth phase of its H2eco project, which helped more than 3,000 customers in Basildon save water, and money.

The Tap into Savings initiative in Braintree, involving Anglian Water, Braintree District Council, Global Action Plan, Greenfields Community Housing and Waterwise, was runner-up in the same category.

Linda Berkshire, water efficiency manager at Anglian Water, said 'Even in a normal year we only get a fraction of the rainfall of the rest of the country meaning we have an ongoing obligation to use water wisely in the East of England.

'The Potting Shed proved a very effective and direct way for us to reach a section of the community who could help us save substantial amounts of water. The whole campaign was built around encouraging a long-term change in behaviour, and we hope the impact will outlive the campaign.'

Tim Wagstaff, Essex & Suffolk Water's project manager, said: 'I'm delighted that all our hard work on the H2eco project over the past five years has been recognised as industry-leading and will continue to help customers save water and money.'

The UK Water Efficiency Awards are staged bi-annually and were held this year at the House of Lords.