South West Water is warning that the region’s water resources have reached tipping point as summer demand increases.

The water company is asking customers, businesses and visitors to the region for their continued support in using water wisely as the region heads into summer.

As one of only two regions officially in drought across the UK, in April South West Water extended its hosepipe ban, which was already in place in Cornwall and parts of North Devon, to other parts of Devon.

The utility said that with climate change bringing more prolonged hot and dry weather conditions, as seen last month and so far this month with lower than average rainfall across the South West, reservoir levels across the region have been unable to fully recharge ahead of the peak summer demand.

Colliford Reservoir, which dropped to around 15% last year, is currently around 2% higher than this time last year, while Roadford Reservoir currently has nearly 16% less water than the same time in 2022.

South West Water is investing £125 million in its water resources to secure resilience through desalination solutions, installing new pipelines and repurposing quarries. By 2025, it aims to significantly increase its water resources by 45% in Cornwall and 30% in Devon.

Meanwhile, the company is continuing to urge everyone across the region to change the way they think about water usage.

As visitors to the South West play a big part in the increased demand over the summer, South West Water is also working with holiday parks and tourists to help them recognise their role in protecting water supplies and the environment.

As well as radio and service station advertising, South West Water has issued leaflets and posters to every household and business across the South West and around 3,500 tourist information locations.

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

“The impact of climate change has been intensified by population growth and tourism, and as a result our reservoirs are still not where we need them to be.

“That’s why we need customers, businesses and visitors in our beautiful region to continue to do their part and reduce their water use whenever possible. We are not asking customers to stop using water, we are asking that they use it responsibly.

“We have a plan in place, and this is working. So far our interventions have already delivered results, boosting resources by around 25% in Cornwall, and around 12% in Devon.”