Free drinking water could soon be available in Helston town centre thanks to a proposed partnership between the council and Friends of the Earth.

The project is being proposed by the Lizard Peninsula branch of the environmental group, in a bid to reduce the amount of plastic bottles being sold and then discarded.

It is offering to install a drinking water fountain and has suggested the side wall of the new toilet building by the Grylls Monument as the best location.

The group proposes that after paying for the fountain to be placed there – along with any necessary planning permission - Helston Town Council should then pay for the water used, describing the cost as “minimal compared to a flushing toilet.”

In a letter to the town council, Yvonne Lewer of Lizard Peninsula Friends of the Earth has written: “Currently there is international recognition that buying water in plastic bottles is causing serious environmental damage.

“Our group is very fortunate that we have been left a legacy which would enable us to provide a drinking water fountain in Helston. Many towns and cities in the UK are now providing these fountains.”

She said the group had already spoken with the architects of the building, who considered the location “very appropriate.” The drinking fountain would be covered by the existing CCTV cameras and the design the group had in mind was stainless steel and vandal-proof.

Members would also like to add a small plaque dedicated to the person who left the money.

“This would be a benefit for the people of Helston. It would also attract visitors into the town, since the ReFill phone app advertises locations in the near vicinity where people can refill their own water bottles, up to a maximum of one litre,” added Ms Lewer, who said such a facility would “reinforce the impression of an environmentally caring town.”

The letter will be read out and discussed at tomorrow’s meeting of the town council’s amenities committee.

Lizard Peninsula Friends of the Earth has been campaigning for many years for a reduction in the amount of plastic used, with a stall at the monthly Helston Farmers’ Market and a reusable shopping bag scheme run under the slogan “Ditch the Plastic, Make Helston Fantastic.”