Summer is still a couple of months away - but households in parts of the UK are already facing a hosepipe ban. With reservoir levels falling to their lowest record level in the West Country, the Environment Agency has placed Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly in drought status.
As reported in Devon Live, South West Water is to extend the "temporary use ban" already in place in Cornwall and parts of North Devon to other parts of Devon from next week, which means people will be banned from using a hosepipe to water their garden or wash their cars.
The water company says that restrictions are being introduced to protect supplies following lower than average levels of rainfall. It says that reservoirs recorded their lowest ever levels last year, with Roadford Lake in west Devon currently 27% lower than it was at the same time in 2022 - the equivalent to nearly 3,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools.
South West Water has told customers that they can still water their garden without using a hosepipe if they use tap water from a bucket or watering can, or use water that is not sourced from taps such as grey water, rainwater from a water butt or a private borehole. It says that customers can also save water by taking showers instead of baths, not running the tap when brushing teeth and fitting water-saving devices such as shower regulators, leaky loo detectors and water butts.
With around 30% of leaks in the region occurring in customers’ private supplies, South West Water says it will fix them free of charge if contacted.
“The region’s water resources are under immense and increasing pressure," said David Harris, South West Water’s Drought and Resilience Director. "Introducing a hosepipe ban is the responsible thing for us to do and going into the summer period is the right time to do it.”
The hosepipe ban comes into effect from Tuesday, April 25. It will not apply to blue badge holders or those on South West Water’s priority register, while businesses and farmers are unaffected.
