Trevor Newton wants his customers to know that he doesn't bathe.
And if the chief executive of Yorkshire Water PLC gets his way, residents may have to skip some of their showers and baths, as well.Yorkshire is running out of water because of a drought in northern England in the driest summer since 1800. With some reservoirs down to 13.8 percent of their regular supply, Newton is threatening to cut water supplies every other day if the reservoirs don't start filling up soon.
"I personally haven't had a bath or shower for three months," the executive disclosed this week. Newton said he keeps his hygiene up to snuff by using a washcloth and half a bowl of hot water every day.
"He's trying to lead the way and say, `You can save water. It can be done,' " spokesman John Howe said Friday.
About 384,000 people would be affected by the plan, and only emergency services, hospitals, hospices and livestock farms would be exempt. Yorkshire Water hopes for government approval in two weeks.
As might be expected, residents and businessmen in the area are already hot under the collar. At the Bradford Chamber of Commerce, director David Wilkinson calls it "the wretched proposal."
"It will have a significant impact on business," Wilkinson said. "We're hoping to avoid that situation."
Many textile plants have their own water sources, but high-tech and engineering companies are planning to truck in water, and preparing workers to double up shifts on water days and stay home on dry days.
Wilkinson said the plan could encourage water hoarding that would empty out the reservoirs even faster.
Yorkshire Water plans to start the cuts shortly after getting permission, assuming that rain or voluntary conservation had not turned the situation around.
The company was not sure how much rain it needs.
"It's hard to tell," Howe said. "Rainfall figures don't tell us much. We need the depletion of the reservoirs to reverse."
Reports of Newton's personal hygiene left a number of Britons holding their noses.
"I remember being at school with a boy like Mr. Newton, but eventually we told him," Chris Boylan wrote in a letter to The Times.
There may not be any real need to keep the windows open when Newton is in the boardroom, however. The Yorkshire Water spokesman acknowledged Newton has in fact taken some relatively recent baths at his parents' home, which is outside the drought areas.