A bathroom retailer has saved nearly £65,000 on its annual fuel bill by using technology which monitors the way its drivers navigate roads.

Crosswater improved fuel efficiency by 20% within a year on its annual fuel bill after installing a system which alerts managers to unnecessary fuel usage.

It brought the Dartford-based company’s fuel bill down from £322,394 in 2012 to £257,868 in 2013.

The technology helped vehicles get more than 30 miles to the gallon, compared with 25mpg the year before.

The improvement in fuel efficiency also helped the firm get environmental accreditation under the Fleet Operator Recognition Scheme, run by Transport for London.

The TomTom Telematics technology gives drivers real-time insight into fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions.

Crosswater Holdings’ transport manager Brett Westbrook said: “We deal with over 850 jobs per day and without a telematics system in place, we were spending a lot of money on what we now know are preventable fuel costs.

“In terms of training, monitoring driver behaviour has made a huge difference. The technology is all invaluable when it comes to promoting fuel efficiency and safer, greener driving.”

Crosswater uses TomTom WEBFLEET to monitor drivers’ behaviour, while TomTom OptiDrive profiles drivers based on factors like speeding, ilding and harsh steering and braking.

TomTom Telematics UK and Ireland director Giles Margerison said: “There is an increased onus on businesses to reduce the environmental impact of their vehicle fleets and Crosswater has put itself at the front of the pack by implementing a programme to improve driver behaviour.

“Improved green credentials can be married with cost savings and greater efficiency simply by using the available data to generate smarter insights into fleet activity.”