Laura Sharman 08 April 2016

Councils call for children to have more access to tap water

Council leaders are calling for water to be made freely available in schools, nurseries and children's centres after new figures showed children are only getting 25% of the fluid they need from water.

The figures by the Natural Hydration Council show that teenagers aged 11-18 are only drinking two small glasses of water a day, which is 453ml out of their total fluid requirement of 1.8 litres. Children aged between four and 10 are only drinking 276ml water out of a recommended daily fluid intake of 1.3 litres.

The Local Government Association (LGA) said hydration in schools should be a key part of the upcoming child obesity strategy. It points to a recent study showing that replacing one sugary drink with water each day can lower the risk of type 2 diabetes by 25%.

Cllr Izzi Seccombe, LGA community wellbeing spokeswoman, said: 'Children and teenagers are not drinking enough water. It is far too easy for them to choose a soft drink rather than a glass of water. We need to reverse this and make water more freely available in our schools, nurseries, children’s centres and colleges.'

Blackpool Council ran a Stoptober-style campaign last year to get pupils to swap fizzy drinks for water for 21 days. More than 80 youngsters aged 11 to 18 signed up to the challenge.

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