HOT and cold running water is good enough for most families - but the Birds have their favourite soft drink on tap.

They are so hooked on Vimto, they have a tank full of the cordial buried in their garden so there is a constant supply in the kitchen.

Mum Mandy, 40, first became addicted to Vimto 14 years ago. Along with husband Clive, 42, and sons Daniel, 12, and Tom, nine, they guzzle 12 litres a week at their home in Timperley near Altrincham.

A specialist team from Vimto's Warrington manufacturers spent hours digging up Birds' garden to bury the tank. Pipes lead into the kitchen and when the tap is turned on, Vimto is pumped into a mixing chamber connected to the house's water supply.

Daniel and Tom like a glass of the sugar-free version every morning before they go to school.

Then they take flasks so they can top up at lunchtime.Mandy, a special support educational assistant, used to buy two litres of the concentrate each week.

She said: "I bought it one day and we just carried on drinking it and the boys have grown up with it. Vimto is lovely - it is just so different from the other drinks.

"I always buy the sugar free stuff and neither of my boys have any fillings.

"The Vimto helps because my youngest tends to make it a bit strong.

"Who knows, we might start a new craze!"

Daniel, a pupil at Wellington School in Timperley, said: "It is great to have it on tap. It tastes so nice and fruity."A spokesperson for Vimto said: "The tank was a fairly simple installation, but we can't disclose how much it cost as it was a gift to the Bird family.

"It's a complete one-off, there's nothing else like this in the rest of the country."

Vimto was created by John Noel Nichols in a wooden barrel in his warehouse at 49 Granby Row, Manchester, in 1908.

It was intended to be a healthy pick-me up which gave those who drank it vim and vigour.

The drink is a mix of three fruit juices - grape, blackcurrant and raspberry and a blend of 23 fruit essences, herbs and spices.

It can be served hot or cold or made with carbonated water.