Water firm warns Devon and Cornwall are 'still in drought'

Devon and Cornwall are still in drought following some of the driest conditions in nearly 90 years, a water company said.

South West Water (SWW) said reservoirs were still lower than needed going into summer after the counties "continued to receive lower than normal" rainfall.

It added that "water resources are under increasing pressure".

A temporary use ban (hosepipe ban) is still in place for Cornwall and for parts of north Devon.

In an email to customers, SWW said Colliford reservoir in Cornwall was at 57% capacity at the end of March, compared to 79% at the same time last year.

Roadford reservoir in Devon was at 64%, compared to 96% in 2022.

Somerset's Wimbleball reservoir, on Exmoor in Somerset, was at full capacity.

Cornwall alone uses about 170 megalitres a day.

Water customers in Cornwall are being given £30 off bills after Colliford's level rose to 30% full by the end of 2022 in an incentive to encourage people to reduce water use.

In the email, it thanked customers for "everything you've been doing to help reduce demand".

But it added that "despite all your help, and all our efforts, our reservoirs are still lower than we need going into summer".

It said: "We continue to ask everyone to save every drop by reducing their water use."

South West Water provides water and sewerage services to Cornwall and Devon, plus small parts of Dorset and Somerset.

Follow BBC News South West on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].