SOUTH West Water has announced Cornwall's hosepipe ban is to be lifted soon. 

According to the water company, reservoir levels at Colliford are currently at 57 per cent - up from 38 per cent this time last year. 

The ban will be lifted on September 25 and residents will no longer be prohibited from using hosepipes to water their gardens or clean their cars, among other things. 

In an update posted on its website, South West Water said: "South West Water can confirm they are on track to lift the hosepipe restrictions in Cornwall and Upper Tamar on 25th September.

"We will continue to monitor the situation closely until this date but are confident that we will be in a position to remove the restrictions on this date.

"We would like to thank all our customers for their continued support and ongoing efforts to help reduce demand through this challenging time."

Under the ban, residents in the affected areas are prohibited from using a hosepipe as well as sprinklers, dipper hoses, automatic irrigation systems and other similar devices, for the following activities: 

  • Watering a garden (this includes allotments) 
  • Cleaning a private motor-vehicle (this includes taxis) 
  • Watering plants on domestic or other non-commercial premises 
  • Cleaning a private leisure boat 
  • Filling or maintaining a domestic swimming or paddling pool (some exceptions below) 
  • Drawing water, using a hosepipe, for domestic recreational use (this includes hot tubs) 
  • Filling or maintaining a domestic pond (unless it has fish in it) 
  • Filling or maintaining an ornamental fountain (unless its purpose is to keep fish healthy) 
  • Cleaning walls, or windows, of domestic premises 
  • Cleaning paths or patios
  • Cleaning other artificial outdoor surfaces 

Residents can still carry out the activities listed above with mains water as long as a bucket or watering can is used instead.