Severe drought

Local water supplies are running low – we all need to save water  

The Environment Agency has confirmed that parts of Devon, Dorset and Cornwall have entered Severe Drought status. You can check if you’re affected by using the postcode checker below.

Reservoir levels are dropping because water resources are being used faster than they’re replaced by rainfall. We’re doing all we can to address the situation, including managing the network and fixing more leaks. However, we also need customers to use less water to help reservoir levels recover in this critical phase of the drought. Every Drop Counts – small changes make a big difference.

Why has this happened?

Following the hottest summer ever recorded, drought conditions continue across much of England. You might be wondering how we could be in drought at this time of year when there has been some rain. 

The answer is that the rain we have had is not enough to counteract all the months we had with high temperatures and low rainfall. Much of the rainwater has been absorbed by dry soil, rather than adding to river flows. 

We usually take water from rivers to top up reservoirs or supply treatment works directly, but river flows are still not strong enough. This means we have to rely on the water that’s stored in your local reservoir. And that water is now limited. You can find more information about our reservoir levels here. 

The areas now in severe drought are shown below. 

We all need to save water

Thank you for all you’ve done to save water so far this summer. The hosepipe ban remains in place – we know this may be inconvenient and we’re grateful to everyone who has made an effort to save water. However, as autumn progresses the hosepipe ban has less impact on demand. We need to do more to save water.

At this critical point, please continue to use less water so there’s enough to go around in the weeks and months ahead. Every Drop Counts.

Small changes to your routine can make a big difference. Here are three simple things you can do to start using less:

1. Take shorter showers. A shower uses ten litres of water a minute. Try to keep your shower to four minutes or less.

2. Turn the tap off when you brush your teeth. This could save as much as 20 litres of water each time you brush.
   
   
3. Check your loo for leaks – these can waste up to 400 litres a day. See our leaky loo blog for more information.

There are plenty of other small changes you can make to reduce your water use, at home and at work. Find out more ways to save water.

What we’re doing

Throughout this unprecedented summer, we have been monitoring water resources carefully and doing all we can to manage supplies. We have been moving water between supply zones and fixing an average of 73 leaks a day.

However, there is a limit to what we can do. That’s why we’re asking you to reduce your water use wherever possible. 

We know some customers need to use more water because of a medical condition, disability or caring responsibilities. Please continue to use the water you need for your health, wellbeing and essential daily activities. 

However, if you're able to make small changes to reduce non-essential water use, every drop saved will help protect supplies for everyone.