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Tag: South West Water

June 7, 2023 by in Articles

Hosepipe ban latest – June 2023

In response to customer feedback, we’ve updated and simplified our information regarding water restrictions so it’s clearer to understand what you can and can’t do. This information can be found in the temporary use ban section of the website.

Protecting water supplies now to ensure there is enough for everyone

As you will be aware, our water resources have been put under immense pressure over the last year, and we’ve taken the necessary measures to protect supplies going into the summer months.

Through our Save Every Drop campaign, we’re continuing to support customers, businesses and tourists to change their water habits, helping to save every drop and ensure there’s enough water for everyone. For everyday water-saving tips and to claim your free devices, visit Save Every Drop.

Our commitment to securing supplies

  • We constantly monitor the reservoir levels in the region in the hope that the reduced demand will help them recover to levels that mean we can remove the hosepipe ban
  • We are investing an additional £75 million this year in water-resilience schemes to bring new water sources online
  • We have found and fixed three times more leaks than last year. If you spot a leak please let us know.
  • We have provided over 100,000 free water-saving devices to help customers and businesses reduce their water usage

Water is our most precious resource

Thank you to everyone who has been saving water already. Every drop is precious, and saving water is a team effort. We can’t do it alone. For easy water-saving tips, please check out Save Every Drop.

Together we can ensure we have what we need whilst protecting the places we love.

Thank you,

Laura Flowerdew

Chief Customer and Digital Officer, South West Water

Small changes to everyday habits can have extraordinary impact on reducing demand in the South West, so please help by saving every drop. 

South West Water (square frame)

April 21, 2023 by in Articles (1 Comment)

Hosepipe Ban – South West Water




On Tuesday 25th April 2023, we will be extending our current hosepipe ban to cover most of Devon.

From this date, you will not be permitted to use a hosepipe for non-essential use.  Please note, if you are a registered Blue Badge holder, you are exempt from these restrictions.

To find out if your property is included within the Hosepipe ban area, please visit our online postcode checker here.

Our region remains in drought

Since last summer, our region has been in drought.  Low rainfall and high demand have stopped our reservoirs from recovering to levels we would usually see going into the summer.  Roadford Lake, our main reservoir in Devon, remains around 27% lower than this time last year, despite the recent rain. To see our latest reservoir levels, please visit our website here. 

To ensure that we can continue to deliver high quality water to all our customers, it is necessary to introduce this ban now to help reduce demand over the coming months.

Managing our water resources together

We have been working hard to manage our water resources to ensure we have a safe and resilient supply of water for all our customers. Our teams have been out finding and fixing leaks whilst we have also been looking at new water resources – from disused quarries to desalination plants. We know there is still more to be done and we are working hard to do all we can. To find out more about what we’re doing, please find out more here.

We also appreciate your efforts to help Save Every Drop and we continue to offer everyday tips and support to save water at home, across local businesses, and for visitors to Devon and Cornwall. We are also offering free water saving devices – find out more here.  

Thank you,

Laura Flowerdew

Chief Customer and Digital Officer
South West Water

South West Water (square frame)

March 31, 2023 by in Articles

Update from South West Water

Hello,
Our water resources are under increasing pressureThank you for everything you’ve been doing to help reduce demand since last summer and save water. The South West remains in drought following some of the driest conditions in nearly 90 years. A continuing lack of rainfall means our reservoirs have struggled to recover to the levels we need going into the summer. As of the 29th March 2023, Roadford reservoir was 63.7% full. For up-to-date reservoir levels, please visit our current reservoir levels webpage.
Now more than ever we need your help to Save Every DropTo help us maintain and deliver the water you need, we continue to offer a wide range of support, everyday tips, advice and water saving devices that can help you reduce your usage at home with minimal effort and change.  What’s more, if you’re on a meter then any further savings you can make at home will result in savings on your water bill. Using less hot water will make savings on your energy bills too.  Small steps can make an extraordinary difference and we continue to ask everyone to save every drop by reducing their water use.  To discover all the support available, please visit our website.
We’re working hard to meet demand and make every drop countWe take our responsibility to every customer extremely seriously and are working hard to manage our network, resources and reservoirs in the best possible way to meet demandWe’re fixing more leaks than ever before and quicker with all identified leaks fixed in 3.6 days on average.We’re investing in additional supplies and resources and since last year have brought Hawks Tor, an old disused quarry, into use as a new reservoir.  We’re building 2 desalination plants to provide additional water supply, recognising the impact of climate change and the need for future resilience.
Thank you for all your help and supportWe really appreciate your efforts and support to help save every drop. Together these ordinary steps really can make an extraordinary difference.  
Laura FlowerdewChief Customer and Digital Officer
Take control of your water’s future  The future of water is changing. With new challenges that climate change brings, we must adapt to combat them. In our Water Resources Management Plan, we have detailed how we will be protecting and improving our environment whilst balancing water supplies. However, we need your help. Your feedback is essential to the plan’s development and the input you give will help us tailor what we can deliver to benefit both yourself and the environment we live in.  
To find out how you can submit your thoughts and ideas, please visit the Water Resources Management Plan webpage.
A big thank you to everyone for taking action and saving water already. It’s a team effort and through small changes in water use we can make a big difference.
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