Cornwall is set to be placed under a hosepipe ban next week for the first time in 26 years, says South West Water.

The water company has said that despite its best efforts to avoid it, the ban will come in from 0.01am on Tuesday, August 23 in order to protect the water.

A small part of Devon will also be affected, with customers who will be impacted by the ban to receive notifications. 

The company has sent out text messages this afternoon to customers who have given their mobile phone number. 

The restrictions follow the county being officially placed under 'drought' status on the morning of Friday, August 12 after July was declared as the hottest on record since the 1976.

A statement from the South West Water on their website on Monday said: "From 00:01am on 23 August 2022, customers who get their water from us in Cornwall and a small part of Devon will not be allowed to use a hosepipe.

"It’s the first time in 26 years but we’ve been left with no other choice. We need to have a hosepipe ban now to protect our precious water.

"We’ve done our best to avoid this ban. We’ve increased the amount of water we can store - doubling it since the last drought in 1976.

"We’ve opened reservoirs, installed a new borehole, and improved the way we can move water across the region to help keep everyone’s taps running. At the same time, we’ve reduced the amount of water lost through our own pipes.

"In the last two years we’ve doubled the amount of leak detection staff and now fix about 2,000 leaks a month. 30% of leaks happen on customer supply pipes, we've offered to fix these leaks for free. But all of this hasn’t been enough."

The news follows weather warnings of thunderstorms in Cornwall that are in place over the next three days.