Welsh Water forced to delete 'meat-free' advert after backlash

Welsh Water was forced to delete a Facebook advert, which encouraged people to go 'meat-free' for a day to save water, after a backlash on Monday.

The advert, published with the hashtag #watersavingweek, included a picture of a pig being washed in a bucket of water.

It was posted on the Dwr Cymru Welsh Water Facebook page along with the caption: "Nearly one third of agricultural water use is related to animal products. Try going meat free for just one day."

The advert was posted at around midday and was deleted around three hours later.

Before it was deleted, the post gathered a number of comments from Facebook users who described the advert as 'disgraceful', 'shocking' and 'ridiculous'.

Welsh Water has since issued an apology, and said that the advert - which was a one-off - formed part of a UK-wide campaign run by a separate organisation:

Each year, the independent organisation, Waterwise, runs Water Saving week, providing tips to people on how to reduce water usage in their everyday lives.