South West Water issues no fines for hosepipe ban breaches

A water company says it is yet to fine anyone for failing to comply with a hosepipe ban in Devon and Cornwall.

South West Water's (SWW) ban was put in place in Cornwall in August 2022 and it was extended to most of Devon in April 2023.

SWW said some people have been "encouraged to change their behaviour" but no-one has received a fine.

The firm also said it was considering changing tariffs for high-consumption customers.

It comes after SWW warned the public of low reservoir levels.

It said due to hot and dry weather, reservoir levels across the region had been "unable to fully recharge ahead of the peak summer demand".

David Harris, the firm's drought and resilience director, said he was satisfied people were generally complying with the hosepipe ban.

He said the company had met with those not doing the right thing to clarify the rules.

He added: "We haven't had to issue a fine - we've had a couple of cases we've had to follow up.

"But we've found that's been sufficient to encourage people to do the right thing."

SWW said people who did not comply with the ban could face a fine of up to £1,000.

Mr Harris said the firm was also looking at its tariffs.

"For a number of reasons we are looking at our tariff structure and we're looking at how we can pass on efficiencies and minimise bill increases for our customers.

"As part of that we're thinking about how we might change our tariff arrangements to apply perhaps different tariffs to higher water users - but we're in the process of thinking that through."

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