For the past three years the keen inventor has been busy developing various drought-busting devices, and has now hit upon a cheap but effective way of reusing water at home.

He has developed a special plug which fits into the bath and which can be connected to a hosepipe, allowing waste water to be siphoned out for use in the garden, washing the patio and even cleaning the car.

Martin was inspired to do his bit for the planet after his garden was seriously affected during the drought two years ago, which saw water levels in Sussex shrink to their lowest for 30 years.

"It was really born out of the experience of having a lovely garden and seeing it die," he said.

"It was a big garden, and I realised how much water we waste in baths and things and so I developed this device.

"It's not terribly glamorous, but I tried it out at home and it works really really well and it has been selling brilliantly."

To further enhance its ethical credentials, the plug has been manufactured by Pressco Precision Engineering in Portsmouth, to support jobs in the area and keep the product's carbon footprint down.

Martin also enlisted several Chichester companies, including the Chichester Paper Bag Company and Chichester Design, to make and produce packaging made from recycled materials and which can also be recycled itself.

Companies in the area were also used for printing, website design and where possible, the sourcing of components.

Martin's invention has now been given a boost after household shop Lakeland agreed to sell it for a trial period this year and he has had interest from several countries such as Greece, Gibraltar, Australia and America, which all experience drought problems.

As well as helping save water, the plug is also helping people save money on their water bill, and has been snapped up by plenty of penny-conscious customers.

"We have had a lot of interest from elderly people who are having to be careful about their budget, so the plug is actually benefiting a greater number of people than originally intended, which is great.

We've found a lot of people who now have water meters are also using it to save money."

Last year, on the back of his eureka moment, Martin set up his own company, Drought Solutions Ltd, and he is now working on several new water-saving devices including a system which can be built into new houses as well as new types of plug which can fit in shower trays, and sink fittings – not bad for a hobby inventor who started working in his garden shed.

Martin now feels very proud to be making a difference and hopes more people will follow suit and pay more attention to how much water they use.

"We are hoping to make people think a bit about what they are doing and I think everybody is going to have to sharpen up a bit about the environment very soon."

The Droughtplug costs £4.99 and fits in 80 per cent of bath plug holes.

The Droughtplug Kit costs £19.99 and consists of the Droughtplug, two metres of hosepipe with an integral siphon pump and standard hose connectors at each end, a double connector to join this hose-pipe to a garden hose-pipe and an in-line cut-off valve so the flow of water can be controlled.

The plugs are sold in Lakeland, North Street, Covers in Quarry Lane, Goodrowes in the Hornet and on the Droughtplug website.

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