The heatwave has prompted South West Water to call on customers in parts of East Devon to cut shower times and slash daily use, revealing tankers are helping to ease drinking water demand.
The water giant said the hot weather had sparked ‘exceptionally high demand’ on the drinking water network in the East Devon areas of Honiton and Axminster, plus Lyme Regis, also Cullompton and Tiverton, in Mid Devon.
South West Water (SWW) said its water treatment works near Tiverton was operating around the clock at ‘maximum capacity’ to meet demand, but urged customers to limit use until temperatures fall.
SWW hopes customers will use water with ‘additional care’ until temperatures start to fall, to help maintain supplies for Honiton, Axminster, Lyme Regis, Cullompton and Tiverton.
The water company said the extreme increase in temperature ‘places significant pressure’ on the local drinking water network.
Residents and businesses in Honiton, Axminster, Lyme Regis, Cullompton and Tiverton are urged to only turn on the taps for water for drinking, cooking, personal hygiene, sanitary purposes and ‘essential’ washing for clothes.
Taking four-minute showers, not running the tap for cold drinks or teeth brushing, and limiting garden watering is what SWW is calling on customers to consider.
David Harris, SWW managing director for water services, said: “The prolonged hot weather over the last few weeks has resulted in exceptionally high demand on our drinking water network in Mid Devon and parts of East Devon.
“Through the ongoing 24/7 efforts of our local team, our Allers Water Treatment Works is continuing to produce water at its maximum capacity.
“To help protect water supplies across the network and reduce the risk of supply interruptions, we’re asking customers to only use water for anything that is essential until temperatures begin to drop. We all need to use water wisely in these extreme conditions.
“We are also working on a range of interventions to protect water supplies in the area. These include tankering to add water to the network, rerouting water around our network, additional resources for fixing leaks and asking businesses with high water use to reduce usage where possible.”
