Thousands of coffee shops, hotels and other outlets will offer free drinking water refills in a move set to slash plastic bottle use.
New public drinking fountains will also be opened in a further attack on plastic pollution.
Estimates suggest the initiatives will cut plastic bottle purchases by tens or even hundreds of millions a year.
The landmark move comes in the wake of the Daily Mail’s ‘turn the tide on plastic’ campaign which has highlighted threats to the environment, oceans and wildlife.
It will also save money, with a 500ml bottle of branded water typically costing 30p to buy.
New public drinking fountains will also be opened in a further attack on plastic pollution
More than 3,000 Costa coffee shops, Premier Inn hotels, Beefeater and Brewers Fayre pub restaurants, which are part of Whitbread, have signed up to the Refill scheme.
Many thousands of others will join the initiative which is being co-ordinated by Water UK, the trade body for companies supplying our tap water.
It insists tap water is healthy and wholesome, while taste tests show most people cannot tell the difference between tap and branded, once it is chilled. The refills will be available to anyone, not just customers who have bought something from the outlet.
Water UK’s chief executive, Michael Roberts, said: ‘The Daily Mail has shown excellent leadership in bringing the issue of plastic waste to the public’s attention.
‘We’ve all seen the pictures of tonnes of plastic bottles washing up on beaches, and we know the damage they cause to wildlife and the wider environment. By refilling water bottles, we can all help turn this harmful tide of plastic waste.’
The new Refill service has its own smartphone app that allows users to find a point nearby.
Businesses, including museums and attractions, will put Refill stickers in their windows to tell customers the service is available.
The national scheme was inspired by the small Refill campaign which has set up 1,600 stations in Bristol, Norwich, Durham and Cornwall.
A partnership between Water UK and Refill will see all water companies in England support a massive expansion of the scheme over the next two years.
It will also save money, with a 500ml bottle of branded water typically costing 30p to buy
Director of sustainability at Whitbread, James Pitcher, said: ‘We are committed to reducing our impact on the environment and playing our part to tackle the issue of plastic waste.’
As well as being able to get free drinking water from outlets, some water companies are looking at installing new public drinking fountains and restoring some old ones.
They were widespread from Victorian times but declined as a result of vandalism, the cost of upkeep and the increasing provision of water into homes.
Both Theresa May and the Environment Secretary Michael Gove have backed the extension of access to drinking fountains. New ones have appeared in Bristol, London and Hull in the past year.