Record bottled water sales in Britain ; emergency supplies used to cover water shortages in France - mineral water firms are worshipping the sun, reports BeverageDaily.com.

Some products have all the luck it seems. Bottled water sales, already helping to drive the soft drinks market's growth in several countries, took another leap last week as a summer heatwave in Europe pushed temperatures up to 37°C in Britain alone.

Tesco, Britain's largest supermarket, saw "massive like-for-like growth" last week with up to 121% sales rises for some waters, a company spokesperson said. Sainsbury's, UK's third largest supermarket chain, said it recorded its highest ever bottled water sales for one week, with a rise of 80% on the same week last year. A group spokesperson estimated that more than 5 million bottles had been sold.

A similar story has emerged from France. A spokesperson for the National Federation of Bottled and Treated Water said there were no exact figures "but it's evident that in the heat people are drinking more."

In this context, bottled water producers have found themselves in the unfamiliar role of public service providers. Around 7,500 bottles of Cristaline, France's biggest bottled water brand, were distributed to residents in the southern French town of Lodève last week. Cristaline producer, the Castel Group, was called in after a mains water pipe burst.

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