A hosepipe ban has been extended for parts of traditionally rainy England in spite of a spring of seemingly unending clouds and grey skies.
A ban already in force for Cornwall and north Devon now also covers large parts of the rest of Devon, South West Water said.
Despite April showers that have rarely seemed to stop, the water supply is suffering the effects of last year’s drought and an unusually dry February.
The 2022 heatwave led to drought for most of England. Devon, neighbouring Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly — all in the South West region — and East Anglia, have not yet recovered.
The Devon hosepipe ban, announced on Tuesday, comes after the National Drought Group warned in February that England is “one dry spell” away from drought.
February was also the driest on record, with only 6 per cent of the 30-year normal amount of rain, experts said.
South West Water said it made the decision to replenish depleted water supplies.
It said that, while water levels were recovering from last summer, they were under “immense and increasing pressure”.
“Our region remains officially in drought and a temporary use ban (known as a hosepipe ban) has been in place for Cornwall and a small part of North Devon since August 2022,” South West Water said.
“Reservoir levels are recovering across Cornwall and Devon, but remain lower than this time last year. As a result of the low reservoir levels, the hosepipe ban is necessary.
“We recognise and appreciate our customers' efforts to reduce their daily water usage throughout this drought period.
“We ask that you continue saving water where you can, so that our water resources can recover sufficiently for the spring and summer ahead.”
The new ban, introduced on Tuesday, applies to the Roadford reservoir supply area, including Plymouth and Torquay.
It prevents customers from using hosepipes and sprinklers to water grass, clean their cars or fill pools.
South West Water's drought and resilience director David Harris said: “Despite our interventions and investments, and the fantastic efforts of our customers, the region's water resources are under immense and increasing pressure.
“Extending the hosepipe ban to parts of Devon is the responsible thing for us to do and going into the summer period is the right time to do it.”
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
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ULTRA PROCESSED FOODS
- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns
- margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars;
- energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces
- infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes,
- many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts.
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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EMIRATES'S%20REVISED%20A350%20DEPLOYMENT%20SCHEDULE
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Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Wicked: For Good
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Ariana Grande, Cynthia Erivo, Jonathan Bailey, Jeff Goldblum, Michelle Yeoh, Ethan Slater
Rating: 4/5
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Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
