DORSET is supplied with some of the best tap water in the country - so why buy bottled?

That's the thinking behind a new campaign by Wessex Water to encourage businesses to put tap water on their menus.

The company says bottled water leaves a huge carbon footprint several hundred times bigger than tap as bottles are transported from countries including the United States, Japan and Fiji.

Three out of four plastic water bottles are still not recycled and as a result 10 billion are thrown away every year.

Wessex Water's director of compliance and sustainability Julian Dennis said: "We want to make it as easy as possible for local establishments to take part in this campaign.

"We'll be supporting them with press adverts and marketing material which includes flyers, stickers and window transfers.

"Simple things like actually adding tap water to their menus gives consumers a choice and makes ordering tap water easy."

Business owners can sign up to the Turn on to Tap Water campaign by visiting the website: www.wessexwater.co.uk/turnon