UK households who stock up on bottled water issued £1,460 warning
UK households who drink bottled water have been issued a £1,460 warning. According to consumer watchdog and group Which?, the price of still bottled water increased by 18.6 per cent and can now cost the average four-person family £1,460 per year.
That is if they drink the recommended 8 glasses per day each. Around 44.9 litres of bottled water were consumed per person in the United Kingdom on average, findings also show - which could be a costly expense amid the Cost of Living crisis.
Speaking earlier this year, aUK hospitality spokesperson stressed that free tap water should always be available, even in pricy establishments. “Essentially, restaurants (and other hospitality venues) are under no obligation to list every single item available for order, in fact usually there are items available for order that aren’t on the menu and this may include water,” they said.
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“Venues would, of course, share the water options available and the associated cost with customers that request this information. It is also worth flagging that restaurants are obliged to provide tap water free of charge to customers.”
It came amid reports some restaurants were charging as much as £62. Victor Garvey, chef-patron of Michelin-starred restaurant Sola in Soho, sells premium water brand Hallstein which retails at £22, minus the restaurant’s 20 per cent service charge.
“We give options,” he told The Independent. “We understand that people may want to spend £1,000 per person and that’s absolutely fine. You can also dine here for less than £100 a head. “Our normal water starts at £5 a bottle for still or sparkling, but we’ve also got our really expensive water.
“It’s no joke, it’s limited production from a natural spring in Austria. That being said, we also offer filtered tap water if customers don’t want a bottle. And that’s free. So you’ve got three price points that anybody would be happy with. One of my friends has a Michelin-starred restaurant and he charges £62 for a bottle of very premium water.”