Tap water for free- on your travels

Katiehound

Official MoneySavingExpert insert: This thread's from 2011, but we've checked (on Friday 5 Feb 2016) and it's still working. Check the webpage below or download the Tapwater.org app.

Back to Katiehound's original post...

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As far as I can see as long as you have a refillable water bottle (I don't think you have to have a specific model) you can top at various locations for free. This could be quite useful in hot weather!

http://www.tapwater.org/refilling-stations

The idea is that we stop buying bottled water, not only for the financial cost but the cost to the environment in the form of discarded plastic


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Chocmonster7

Interesting idea but the nearest place to me is 18 miles away, I'd certainly need a drink after that walk!

jbrockwell5081

9 miles away for me; but good idea if you have one near wherever you are going.

A.Jones

I bet they will only allow you to do it if you have bought (at high price) their stainless steel water bottle. No doubt they will say it is against health and safety to refill plastic ones.

simon_says_3

It's against the law to charge for drinking water..so unless they refuse to refill your bottle, you can drink as much as you like pretty much anywhere in the UK

dbrookf

30 miles for me!

Anacrusis

It's 21 miles for me - but I already have metal water bottles and no where I've asked for a re-fill has ever turned me down!

Anacrusis

Oh actually sometimes little hot drink stands have said that they don't have cold drinking water - didn't know if it was true or not!

vixki

simon_says wrote: »

It's against the law to charge for drinking water..so unless they refuse to refill your bottle, you can drink as much as you like pretty much anywhere in the UK

Yeah but a lot of places refuse to give you water unless you buy something else...

I think that it'd be handy if public loos (eg in shopping centres) had a 'drinking water' tap - so you could fill up water bottles etc, most of the places on this tapwater map are out of the way and that's not very useful.

k3lvc

simon_says wrote: »

It's against the law to charge for drinking water..so unless they refuse to refill your bottle, you can drink as much as you like pretty much anywhere in the UK

Which 'Law' would that be then ?

welshbookworm

Selling Alcohol responsibly - The Mandatory Licensing conditions that came into force April 2010 say
3. The responsible person shall ensure that free tap water is provided on request to customers
where it is reasonably available.
from
http://www.alcoholconcern.org.uk/assets/files/New%20mandatory%20licensing%20conditions%20-%20Home%20Office%20April%202010.pdf
so yes you have to be 'customer' eg spend money first.