South West Water is urging customers to reduce non-essential water usage by extending the Temporary Use Ban, otherwise known as a hosepipe ban, which is already in place in Cornwall and parts of North Devon, to other parts of Devon.

The restrictions are being introduced to protect supplies following lower than average levels of rainfall last year and throughout February.

The hosepipe ban extension will apply to customers in South West Water’s Roadford supply area and will come into effect from midnight tomorrow.

South West Water said it has taken every precaution to prevent further restrictions being required. Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly remain officially in drought status as declared by the Environment Agency.

Reservoir levels fell to their lowest recorded level last year and storage at Roadford Lake is currently around 27% lower than it was at the same time in 2022, the equivalent to nearly 3,800 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Activities covered by the hosepipe ban include using hosepipes to water gardens or clean cars.

Customers can still undertake the above activities 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, for example.

The company said it has doubled its number of leak detection colleagues in the last two years, helping to find and fix up to 2,500 leaks a month, using innovative satellite technology and even leak detection dogs to keep leakage levels as low as possible.

With around 30% of leaks in the region occurring on customers’ private supplies, South West Water is helping customers to detect leaks on their property, and will fix them, free of charge. 

David Harris, South West Water’s Drought and Resilience Director, said:

“We know that last year and into this year our customers have made a real effort to be responsible in their water use and we thank them for that. It has made a difference and we ask them to continue saving water whenever they can.

“We continue to explore all options and take all necessary steps to ensure we protect supplies and the environment, bringing new supplies safely online, finding and fixing three times more leaks than last year and helping customers and businesses reduce their water usage.

“However, despite our interventions and investments, and the fantastic efforts of our customers, the region’s water resources are under immense and increasing pressure. Extending the hosepipe ban to parts of Devon is the responsible thing for us to do and going into the summer period is the right time to do it.”

The water company has found two potential sites for desalination in Cornwall where it is currently running detailed suitability assessments. As part of the process, South West Water are looking at working with potential suppliers and will make dates of the next phase available when this is complete.