Bottled water has come a long way

THE thought of people in 21st century Ireland buying a bottle of water would surely astonish our ancestors who would have looked on a water as a ‘free’ commodity.

However, consumption of bottled water in Ireland has soared in recent years, up from 113 million litres in 2001 to 193m litres in 2008.

The average person now drinks 45 litres of bottled water per year, compared to 30 litres in 2001.