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One way is to fit a heating element designed for hard/agressive water. I believe it's called an 'inconel' element or something like that, and it only costs a few quid more than the standard copper-sheathed element. It is supposed to last a lot longer!

Another possible (or additional) solution is to get a water conditioning unit fitted to the pipe supplying the hot water cylinder. This will not soften the hard water, but it will prevent scale building up on the element or inside the hwc. One type I have been using successfully is the polyphosphate type, which has a cartridge (or 'crystals') that needs replacing every year or two. It doses the water with very tiny undetectable amounts (ppm) of food-grade polyphosphate. This modifies the way calcium carbonate deposits form when the water is heated, so that they do not adhere.

Any help?

Cheers, Big Al