Hosepipe ban set up after heatwave pressure

A hosepipe ban will be introduced as a result of heatwaves bringing "exceptionally high demand" to water supplies.

South West Water (SWW) said the ban would come into effect at 12:00 BST on Tuesday in Mid Devon and other parts of the county, including South Molton, Axminster and Honiton. Lyme Regis in Dorset is also covered by the restrictions.

Customers have been asked not to use hosepipes to water gardens, wash their cars, patios and boats or fill swimming or paddling pools until further notice.

The company said, while it had been staffing local water treatment works 24 hours a day, demand during the heatwaves had increased by 5.4 million litres (1.2 million gallons).

David Harris, managing director for water services, said SWW was doing all it could to protect supplies following the recent hot weather, with temperatures going above 30C (86F) regularly.

Work being done included additional tankers transporting water into the network and more than doubling the number of leak detection workers and repair teams, bosses said.

"The decision to restrict hosepipe use is never taken lightly, as we know how important it is for our customers to enjoy water wisely during hot weather," Harris added.

"We will continue to monitor our demand levels daily and, as soon as we see demand return to normal for this time of year, allowing our treatment water supply network to recover, we will lift the restrictions."

South West Water provides water and sewerage services to about 1.8 million customers in Devon and Cornwall, the Isles of Scilly, plus small parts of Dorset and Somerset.

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