Cornwall reservoir level on track to reach 30% full

Water levels in Cornwall's main reservoir are nearly 10% higher than they were a month ago, South West Water (SWW) says.

The company said the reservoir - now at 26% capacity - was on track to hit its target of 30% by the end of the month.

It has offered to take £30 off the water bills of its customers in Cornwall if levels hit the target.

SWW said it was investigating methods including desalination to help shore up water supplies.

Laura Flowerdew, from SWW, said the firm was working with the Environment Agency on the potential of bringing desalination plants into the area.

"We obviously need to balance that with looking after our beautiful environment, but we're absolutely focused at looking at every other possible option we have to try and make sure we've got the water resources we need," she said.

Speaking about desalination - removing salt from sea water - she said: "We're hoping that if we can get that into operation that will help moving into next summer to make sure we've got the water we need for our customers."

The government told water companies last week they must improve water resilience - including identifying potential new water sources - over winter.

The depletion of water supplies in Devon and Cornwall followed one of the driest and hottest summers on record.

Ms Flowerdew said total demand for water had fallen by about 6% compared with the same time last year.

But reservoir levels had not recharged sufficiently enough to lift the hosepipe ban in Cornwall and parts of north Devon, she added.

"As a region we're very reliant on rainfall rather than groundwater for our water resources so therefore it's very sensitive when we don't have rain," she said.

She said SWW was "confident" the region would be in a "good position" by next summer.

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