Recycled wastewater will help irrigate the London 2012 Olympic Park, saving good quality drinking water. The Secretary of State for the Environment opened a £7m facility, the biggest ‘black water’ treatment works in Britain.

Caroline Spelman said: “Projects like this, which safely recycle water and prevent the need for fresh water to be used where it isn’t needed, have a crucial role to play. Next month, we will set out our plans to ensure there is safe and secure water supply in the future.”

The facility, which is jointly-funded by Thames Water and the Olympic Delivery Authority, takes Londoners’ wastewater to produce 570,000 litres a day of recycled water, which is then pumped into the Olympic Park’s network of pipes specifically for recycled water- separate from the pipes supplying drinking-quality water to taps.

The Old Ford plant will save the Olympic Park using 83 swimming pools worth of drinking water every year, helping the ODA its 40% water-efficiency target.