Tesco is working on an efficiency project with Yorkshire Water to reduce the amount of water used in hundreds of stores to improve its carbon footprint and save costs.

The project, which the retail giant said was worth £388,000, aims to identify and rectify areas of high consumption through detailed water audits carried out by experts.

Technicians from Yorkshire Water technicians have already visited 71 Tesco stores and the work could save up the retailer up to 155 million litres of water a year – the equivalent of 64 Olympic swimming pools, according to Yorkshire Water.

“Working with a multi-site customer like Tesco on a project of this scale allows us to use some of the leading-edge technology we have available to help our business customers become more water efficient,” said Yorkshire Water project manager Simon Redfern.

He added: “Phase one of the project has proved extremely successful and we will continue to work with Tesco to develop the water efficiency scheme in stores countrywide.”