Published: 13 July 2026
I wanted to make you aware that South West Water is asking customers in Mid Devon and parts of East Devon to restrict water use to essential purposes only as the current prolonged heatwave continues to place exceptional pressure on local water supplies.Through the ongoing 24/7 efforts of our local team, Allers Water Treatment Works is continuing to produce water at its maximum capacity.The sustained period of hot weather has increased demand across the area by around 4 million litres per day. With temperatures remaining unusually high following recent record-breaking conditions, there is significant pressure on the local drinking water network.The UK Health Security Agency has issued an amber heat health alert for the South West, following the rare red alert issued in June, when temperatures reached 35°C.To help maintain reliable water supplies and reduce the risk of interruptions, customers in the affected areas are being asked to limit water use to essential activities until temperatures begin to fall. Essential water use includes water required for drinking, cooking, personal hygiene, sanitary purposes and essential clothes washing.Alongside this customer advice, we are undertaking a range of operational measures to protect supplies, including tankering water into the network, rerouting water across the network, deploying additional resources to fix leaks and working with high water-use businesses to reduce demand where possible.As a trusted local representative and community leader, we would greatly appreciate your support in helping us amplify this important message.We would be grateful if you could share this message through your social media channels, newsletters, websites and other community networks where appropriate. Encouraging residents to use water wisely over the coming days will help support supplies in the local network and reduce the risk of supply interruptions during this period of exceptionally high demand.Further information and water-saving advice can be found at: https://www.southwestwater.co.uk/save-water We will continue to monitor the situation and keep you updated.
