Crediton businesses could face new water restrictions as drought deepens

Summer may be over, but the South West’s water shortage most certainly is not.

South West Water has applied for additional drought powers which could place restrictions on some non-essential commercial uses of mains water across an area including Crediton.

The application, announced yesterday, comes as the region enters autumn with water resources still under considerable pressure.

And one figure explains much of the concern: Wimbleball Reservoir was just 21% full at the end of September.

What is being proposed?

South West Water is seeking permission for what is known as a non-essential use drought order.

Unlike the hosepipe restrictions already affecting households, this would allow the company to restrict certain uses of mains water by businesses and other organisations.

Potentially affected activities include things such as commercial vehicle washing, watering some premises, cleaning buildings and equipment, dust suppression and filling certain non-domestic pools.

It does not, however, mean those restrictions have yet started.

The application must first be approved, after which South West Water would need to confirm precisely when and where the additional restrictions would take effect.

Households are already under restrictions

For Crediton households, the immediate position remains unchanged.

South West Water’s existing hosepipe restrictions are still in force, covering uses including watering gardens, washing cars and filling paddling pools or swimming pools with a hosepipe, subject to exemptions.

The new application would essentially extend the effort to conserve water beyond households and into certain non-essential commercial activities.

Why is this still happening in October?

Because the arrival of autumn, and a little rain, does not automatically refill a reservoir.

The Environment Agency’s latest drought assessment showed that water resources remained under substantial pressure at the end of September, with reservoir storage still unusually low across parts of England.

Wimbleball was particularly striking. The reservoir was reported at only around 21% of capacity at the end of September.

Crediton sits within South West Water’s Wimbleball Water Resource Zone, together with places including Exeter, Tiverton and Exmouth.

Wimbleball, although based on the southeastern edge of Exmoor in Somerset, isn’t just a distant reservoir with an alarming-looking shoreline. It feeds the River Exe and forms part of the water-resource system serving this area.

A little rain doesn’t solve it

One of the oddities of an autumn drought is that it can feel increasingly difficult to reconcile with what is happening outside.

There may be rain. Temperatures fall. Lawns begin looking less scorched and more green.

But recovering from a prolonged dry period takes considerably more than a few wet days.

Dry soils and depleted rivers absorb much of the first rainfall, and sustained rain is needed before river flows recover sufficiently and reservoirs begin replenishing properly.

South West Water has warned that difficult conditions could persist well beyond autumn, with parts of the South West potentially remaining in drought into spring 2027.

What happens next?

South West Water’s application now has to go through the formal drought-order process.

If permission is granted, the company says it will provide further information about the exact restrictions, geographical area and date they would begin.

Until then, Crediton’s existing household hosepipe restrictions remain in place.

The calendar may say October, the reservoirs, unfortunately, have yet to notice.