Letter: Water company's gardening advice

Sir: Your coverage (3 May) of our advice on how to save water in the garden completely missed the point.

The one lesson which we should all have learned following the extraordinary drought of 1995 was that water is a precious resource which cannot be wasted. Severn Trent Water is delivering a pounds 150m package of measures to ensure that we have the water to meet all of our customers' needs this summer.

We have also produced a leaflet for gardeners which offers a range of sensible advice. It includes tips on drought resistant plants, ways to improve soil and how to keep your lawn looking good. It also suggests the use of paving or gravel as an alternative to grass - not a revolutionary idea, as a look at any residential street in England will confirm.

Brian Duckworth

Managing Director Severn Trent Water

Birmingham