Wasteful Brits run the equivalent of 1,200 Olympic swimming pools down the plughole every year, according to figures revealed yesterday.
The incredible wastage was calculated by experts at WWF and names and shames Britain as one of the most wasteful countries in Europe.
Their study found Brits are more likely to leave the tap running, take more baths, have longer showers and adopt a cavalier attitude towards water in the home.
It also emerged just six out of ten Brits actively try and save water around the home compared to nine out of ten in Spain, and eight out of ten in Italy and France.
The figures are even more astonishing when Britons pay roughly £77 a year more for their water than anyone else in Europe.
Yesterday Rose Timlett, Freshwater Programme Manager for the WWF-UK, who are part of the Fairness on Tap campaign, said:
"The survey results show that the majority of people in the UK are doing more than ever to save water -- but there is still a long way to go if we are going to match the waterwise efforts of our European neighbours.
"Ultimately, cutting waste is essential to cutting rising water bills. But people need more help to be water efficient: they need advice, incentives and the right equipment.
"So it's time the Government and the water companies played their part.
"The Government's Water White Paper, due next month, is the opportunity to introduce a fair and sustainable water charging system based on water meters and supported by water efficiency and special tariffs to protect families on low income or with medical needs."
The study found one in two of us leave the tap on when we brush our teeth, wasting over 400 million litres of water a day.
With water costing about 0.1p per litre, this equates to pouring £40 million pounds down the plughole. In comparison half as many Germans would leave the tap running.
The research into the water wastage of 5,000 Europeans across Britain, France, Italy, Spain and Germany also revealed stark differences in attitudes around the value of water with Brits being the least likely to think they pay a fair price.
Twice as many Brits would flush rubbish like cotton wool buds or facial wipes down the toilet compared to the French and a fifth of Brits admit to flushing the toilet unnecessarily.
Brits are twice as likely to have a bath when compared to people in Germany and nearly three times as likely as those in Spain and France and 18 per cent of Brits have a bath and a shower on the same day.
The research suggests 1.4 million people in the country have a shower over 25 minutes, using an average of 175 litres per shower.
Brits are also just as bad when it comes to washing up with nearly a third leaving the tap running while they wash up and doing this at least twice a day.
It's not all bad news though with the results showing that more than two thirds of Brits were already actively trying to save water at home with the most popular methods to save water t including washing their clothes less and only boiling as much water as needed for a cuppa.
And one in twenty say that they often jump in the bath or shower with their other half to save water.
Woman are slightly more water savvy, with more than two thirds trying to save water in the home compared to just more than half of men.
Rose Timlett, Freshwater Programme Manager for the WWF-UK said: ''These results show that we have a more laissez faire attitude to our water use in the home compared to some of our European neighbours.
''Across the European continent, people pay for the water they use with 92% respondents saying that they pay by meter - compared to just 37% here in the UK. And, contrary to what many people think: those on meters tend to use less and pay less. On average, people in the UK said they paid
''£253 for water, compared to £207 in France, £189 in Germany, £188 in Spain and just £176 in Italy. Paying for what we use is a clear incentive to reduce waste - and it works.
''Parts of the UK already on meters shows that they use 10-15% less water than areas where households pay a flat annual rate. And, once on a meter, households can save up to £100 a year on combined water and energy bills by installing water efficiency equipment, turning off taps and fixing leaks.''
