With a hosepipe ban in place in both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, NI Water is encouraging families to create DIY raincatchers to collect rainwater for the garden.

A DIY raincatcher, or mini waterbutt, is a homemade way to collect rainwater using an empty plastic milk bottle.

It can be decorated, attached to a fence and used to store rainwater for outdoor tasks such as watering plants.

Anyone who takes part can send a photo of their finished raincatcher to the NI Water education team at [email protected] for the chance to win a 210L NI Water waterbutt.

This will help them harvest even more rainwater for outdoor jobs such as watering plants, washing windows or cleaning the car.

Entries must be from children living in Northern Ireland.

To make the raincatchers, you will need: an empty plastic milk bottle, the bigger the better; scissors; garden string or cable ties; and decorations such as paint, stickers, or waterproof pens.

How to make your DIY raincatcher:

Clean and dry your milk bottle and remove the label.
Carefully cut off the base of the bottle. Younger children should ask an adult for help.
Decorate the bottle with bright colours, patterns or water-saving messages. Remember, the bottle will be fixed in place with the lid pointing down, so make sure your design is the right way up.
Choose a suitable spot on a garden fence and secure your mini waterbutt using garden string or cable ties. Make sure the cap is on and facing down so the bottle can collect rainwater.
Once rainwater has gathered, place a watering can underneath and unscrew the lid to release the water.

NI water education officer, Anna Killen, said: “This is a fun and simple activity for children to enjoy during the school holidays, while also helping them learn more about the importance of saving water.

“We hope lots of children and families will enjoy making their own mini waterbutts and decorating them with colourful designs and water-saving messages.

"We also have a large NI Water waterbutt to give away for the most creative raincatcher," she added.

NI Water has some other simple tips for saving water in the home and garden:

Turn off the tap when brushing your teeth. A running tap can use 6L of water every minute.
Use a bowl for washing vegetables, then reuse this water for plants.
Make full use of your washing machine, as half-load programmes can use more than half the water and energy of a full load.
Fix leaking taps. A dripping tap can waste more than 60L of water a week.
Use a watering can instead of a hose, as a hose can use over 500L of water an hour.
Keep a jug of water in the fridge instead of letting the tap run. Change with fresh water every 24 hours and use any leftover water for watering plants or washing vegetables.