Reigate and Banstead mayor Richard Mantle hopped onto a specially adapted exercise bike to highlight energy useage at the Tap Into Savings launch on Friday.

The event at the Belfry shopping centre in Redhill marked the start of a scheme where nearly 1,000 homes in Redhill and Merstham will be kitted out with devices to help them save water and energy, as well as money on their household bills.

Cllr Mantle said: "As a borough we take the whole environmental issue very seriously, it's one of the main tracts of our policy."

Partially funded by Defra's Greener Living Fund, Tap into Savings is a joint project led by Waterwise with the help of Raven Housing Trust, Sutton and East Surrey Water, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Global Action Plan, and the Environment Agency.

The initiative has begun in Redhill and Merstham before being rolled out to areas in the Midlands and East Anglia.

The scheme will involve more than 10,000 people across the country and the results will be announced later in the year.