Camden plans to ban bottled water

Camden council is planning to ban bottled water from all its offices because of its damaging effect on the environment.

Instead, jugs of water will be provided in staff canteens and at council meetings and the council will consider reintroducing drinking fountains across the borough to reduce public reliance on bottled water.

Islington council has already banned bottled water from its buildings following the Evening Standard's Water on Tap campaign, which has called on restaurants, bars, clubs and public places to routinely offer customers tap water.

The Camden proposal is one of a raft of eco-measures contained in a report on food, water, biodiversity and green spaces prepared by a team 15 councillors.

It will be voted on by the executive committee at the end of May.

Liberal Democrat councillor Alexis Rowell, who leads the environmental task force, said: "We need to stop transporting bottles of water around the world in this era of concern about climate change.

"It's crazy to take what's essentially tap water, put it in a bottle and transport it hundreds of miles to a consumer. We would do far better to drink tap water."