Yorkshire Water ad uses footage of Russia and Herefordshire

A promotional video for Yorkshire Water has been criticised for using stock footage of the rolling hills of Herefordshire and images taken in a Russian bar.

The advert was meant to promote the Bradford-based company's campaign urging customers to save water.

But viewers took to social media to point out the errors, with one branding the ad "more Malvern than Malton".

Yorkshire Water said the advert had since been removed from its channels.

Alongside stock footage of the Malvern Hills and a bar more than 2,700-miles away in Sochi, research by BBC Breakfast also found footage of a man driving a left-hand drive car, which was shot in Ukraine, featured in the advert.

Environmental campaigner Feargal Sharkey told BBC Breakfast: "It underlines the most serious point, once we get past the mild amusement of it all, and that is this laissez-faire, almost casual indifference that water companies, like Yorkshire Water, show towards their customers."

A spokesperson for Yorkshire Water said: "We're aware that stock footage was used in our 'word of mouth' social media campaign teaser video, and have since removed this from our channels.

"However, we're excited to share the first video in our series will be out soon, featuring Harrogate residents and a small Harrogate business."

Yorkshire Water has been criticised recently for the amount of sewage discharged into rivers and along coastlines.

In May the company's boss apologised to customers for sewage being discharged into the region's rivers.

In a letter to every household, chief executive Nicola Shaw said the company would invest £180m in reducing sewage leaks from storm overflows.

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