Victoria, on the southern coast of Australia, is now facing its tenth year of drought in succession, it has been revealed.

The warming of the eastern and central Pacific Ocean has changed weather patterns so profoundly that increasing rainfall in some places causes floods but dramatically reduces it in others, resulting in severe water shortages.

A desalination plant is now under construction in the country, which is expected to supply Melbourne with 150 billion litres of water a year, according to the BBC.

However, water levels are at their lowest since records began 140 years ago and the severity of the droughts has led to proposals of water-saving solutions which could help the Australian people manage its use effectively.

Even though the UK is not suffering from a water shortage of this magnitude, it makes sense to adopt such measures in the home and help save water.

According to the BBC, a washing machine cycle can use 100 to 300 litres of water in a wash but this could be helped by making sure you only turn it on when you have a full load.