Cornwall hosepipe ban: MP Anna Gelderd on a parched summer

Look across South East Cornwall right now and the grass tells the story. Fields that should be green in August have turned the colour of straw, and from Saturday the taps come with a new rule attached. A hosepipe ban lands across the whole South West Water area, and the region’s MP says the browned-off gardens and dried-out playing fields are a sign of something bigger than one dry spell.

What Anna Gelderd said

Anna Gelderd, the Member of Parliament for South East Cornwall, said the effects of the summer are hard to miss on the ground.

“South East Cornwall is feeling the effects of an exceptionally dry summer, with parched fields, gardens, and green spaces,” she said. “I know the hosepipe ban will be disappointing for many local people, but it shows how seriously we need to take the pressures facing our water and natural environment.”

Anna also pointed to what residents expect in return. “At the same time, residents rightly expect South West Water to do everything it can to reduce leaks and protect our water supply,” she said. “I recently attended a screening of the People’s Emergency Briefing in Millbrook, where we discussed the need to prepare for a changing climate and act now to protect the environment we all depend on.”

What the hosepipe ban means for you

The restrictions take effect from one minute past midnight on Saturday 8 August. They cover the full South West Water region, which takes in Cornwall, Devon, the Isles of Scilly and parts of Dorset and Somerset.

Once the ban is in force, customers cannot use a hosepipe to water the garden, wash the car, clean patios and boats, or fill a swimming or paddling pool. The everyday essentials are untouched. Water for drinking, cooking, washing and flushing the toilet all carry on as normal. A watering can filled at the tap is still fair game, so the tomatoes need not suffer.

Why it is happening now

The trigger is a run of exceptionally dry weather. England and Wales have provisionally recorded their driest July on record, and Southern England has just been through its driest month in a series stretching back to 1836. Add sustained high demand through the warm spell and the region’s rivers and reservoirs are under real strain, with the Environment Agency now placing half of England, the South West included, in drought.

South West Water has asked customers to think about every drop while the dry conditions hold. “Every litre saved now will help protect our rivers and water resources while drought conditions continue,” the company said, adding that its teams have been working to boost production, step up leak repairs and move water around the network to keep supplies going.

For Anna, the ban is a prompt to look further ahead than this one summer. She wants the focus on preparing for a changing climate now, she says, rather than waiting for the next parched field to make the point.