Garden innovations - water butts

Here's a fascinating fact. Around 100,000 litres of water falls on the average rooftop every year - and yet many parts of the country had hosepipe bans last year. Using this free supply instead of mains water doesn't just save you money, it's better for your garden, its wildlife and the environment. New slim-line water butts can be fitted even to balconies or the down pipes of flats so that even the tiniest garden or green space can benefit from the heavens opening.

Water butts are easy to fit too - just follow these simple steps:

1. Select a down pipe that is not in a prominent position, or you'll be tripping over the butt all the time, with plenty of room to stand a butt nearby
2. Cut the down pipe at the desired height and fit a diverter, this is simply an angled pipe that runs into the water butt
3. Ensure the butt is on a water butt stand or firm base, preferably above the ground so you can get a watering can easily under the tap. A firm base is important because when the water butt is full, an uneven base can affect the angle of the bypass diverters, causing them to overflow or tip water out onto the ground
4. Make sure your water butt has a secure, childproof and wildlife proof lid. This protects children and animals like squirrels which are rather prone to investigating such locations, and will also prevent debris like windblown leaves and nasties like mosquitoes from entering the water. You may want to fit a mesh cover too, although if you have a good lid this shouldn't be necessary.