Young woman drinking water.

The Refill revolution is gathering pace with two retail giants among the latest big names to make it easier for their customers to ditch single-use bottles and top-up with free tap water.

Today’s announcement that department store John Lewis and supermarket chain Morrisons have signed up to the Refill scheme means there are now more than 12,000 locations across the UK where people can fill up their reusable bottle with tap water.

It’s all part of a wider campaign by the water industry and charity City to Sea to improve public access to tap water and stem the tide of plastic waste in a move that could save a billion bottles by 2025.

Thursday also marks the launch of the first-ever National Refill Day and consumers are being encouraged to download the free Refill app to find their nearest top-up point. The growing list of locations includes train stations, airports and high street names such as Starbucks, Greggs and Costa.

Karen Gibbs, Senior Policy Manager at the Consumer Council for Water, said: “Consumers have been crying out for better access to free tap water, so we’re delighted that water companies and City to Sea are working together to answer that call.”

“The war on plastic waste is gathering pace and we’d love to see all cafes, bars and restaurants make free tap water more readily available to consumers. The environmental and health benefits far outweigh the small cost of making tap water more accessible to everyone.”

You can find out more about the scheme and how to download the Refill app opens in new window.