The London Mayor, Ken Livingstone, this week launched a campaign to encourage the drinking of tap water in bars and restaurants, rather than bottled water.

Backed by environment minister Phil Woolas, Friends of the Earth and water company Thames Water, the Mayor said cutting down on bottled water would bring a variety of environmental benefits, including a drop in the number of plastic or glass bottles requiring disposal or recycling.

Over two billion litres of bottled water are sold in the UK every year - 200 times more than 30 years ago - and currently only twenty percent of plastic bottles are recycled.

Mr Livingstone said:

My message is very simple: don’t be embarrassed to ask for tap water when you eat out. You will save money and help save the planet. By drinking less bottled water, we can cut the climate change carbon emissions coming from its production and transportation, and cut the problem of disposing of used bottles.

Launching the “London on Tap” campaign this week, the Mayor and his partners said a competition would take place in May this year for people to design a special carafe made from recycled glass, which would be standard for London restaurants to offer tap water to their customers.

Jenny Jones, Green Party member for the London Assembly, explained:

The idea of the carafes is to help Londoners take a stand against one of the biggest con jobs of the last two decades. Selling water in bottles and burning massive quantities of fossil fuels for its transportation does not make economic or environmental sense. This is a simple, money-saving way to brush up your eco-credentials. Say ‘no’ to bottled water and help save the planet.

Meanwhile, waste awareness group Waste Watch told politicians to get their own house in order yesterday, after revealing that the Houses of Parliament alone got through 155,000 litres of bottled water in 2006-07, costing the tax payer £64,599.