Water refill stations to be introduced in 3,000 Costa and Premier Inn sites

Free drinking water will be offered at 3,000 branches of Costa and Premier Inn after Whitbread signed up to a new national scheme.

Whitbread is the first business to join the national drinking water scheme and has pledged to introduce bottle refill stations from March 2018, in a bid to cut the use of plastic bottles.

James Pitcher, director of sustainability at Whitbread, said: "At Whitbread we are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and playing our part to tackle the issue of plastic waste.

"We are very much looking forward to participating in this innovative scheme. With over 3,000 Costa stores, Premier Inn hotels and restaurants the length and breadth of the country we can make it easier for people to refill for free, helping to reduce the number of plastic bottles being littered or thrown away."

The new scheme was announced by the water industry today and aims to introduce free refill stations in tens of thousands of locations across the country.

The industry has joined forces with the Refill campaign to create a network of retailers, coffee shops, businesses and local authorities hosting stations.

It is hoped that stations will be available in every major city and town by 2021.

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