Two water bottle refilling stations are to be created in Chester city centre .

Upton Labour councillor Matt Bryan got behind the initiative after it emerged homeless people were struggling to access running water last summer.

Now Cheshire West and Chester Council has agreed to install water bottle filling stations in the appropriately named Watergate Street and also Frodsham Street.

Cllr Bryan said: “It’s great for people who want to reduce their plastic consumption by reusing water bottles and for homeless people who don’t have easy access to clean water. Hopefully it will be the start of many more refilling stations. It would be nice if we could have an integrated system in the city.”

Cheshire West and Chester councillor and environmental campaigner Matt Bryan

Cllr Bryan said there was a national campaign called Refill that aims to make refilling water bottles as easy, convenient and cheap as possible by introducing refill points on every street.

Campaigner and volunteer Jacqui Stainburn had backed the call for more water points so is delighted the council has taken notice.

She said: “It’s a fundamental human right to have water available so I was concerned last year having bumped into a homeless man who was telling me there was nothing around.”

It seems charities like ShareShop and CATH were providing water in the daytime but the problem was at night, especially during the hot weather.

Jacqui, a founder of the Soul Kitchen group which was set up to feed anyone experiencing food poverty, said access to running water was now available for the homeless community after a tap – previously accidentally damaged – was back up and running at the rear of the Chester City Mission in Hunter Street.

She thanked Cllr Bryan for his efforts along with organisations who support the homeless in the city.