South West Water urges customers to Save Every Drop

South West Water has extended the Temporary Use Ban or hosepipe ban to other parts of Devon to reduce non-essential water usage. The ban is already in place in Cornwall and parts of North Devon to protect supplies due to low rainfall levels last year and in February. The hosepipe ban will apply to customers in South West Water's Roadford supply area from 25th April, 2023. The company has taken all necessary precautions to prevent further restrictions but Cornwall, Devon and the Isles of Scilly are officially in drought status, according to the Environment Agency. Reservoir levels and storage at Roadford Lake have decreased to their lowest recorded level, with storage currently 27% lower than it was at the same time last year. Using a hosepipe to water gardens or clean cars is prohibited. However, customers can still use tap water from a bucket or watering can or water from other sources such as grey water, rainwater from a water butt, or a private borehole.

South West Water's Save Every Drop campaign aims to help customers, businesses, and visitors reduce non-essential water use. The company has invested an additional £75 million this year in water resilience schemes to bring new water sources online. Customers can access advice, tips and free water-saving devices, such as shower regulators, leaky loo detectors and water butts, from South West Water's website. The company has doubled its number of leak detection colleagues in the last two years and helps customers detect and fix leaks on their property for free. The Water Saving Community Fund supports nearly 50 projects in the region through water-saving schemes, saving approximately 11 million litres of water each year.

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. 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 temporary use ban will not apply to blue badge holders or those on South West Water’s priority register. Businesses and farmers are unaffected. For more information about these temporary measures and which areas it applies to, visit southwestwater.co.uk/tub.