People in the South Hams are being urged to cut down their water use so that there’s enough for tourists.

The message comes from South West Water as large numbers of visitors start to arrive and temperatures soar.

SWW want people to save five litres of water a day so as to maintain reservoir levels and save people money.

The average person uses 150 litres of tap water a day and if everyone cut down five litres a day it would save 10 million litres.

There haven’t been any restrictions locally since the long hot summer of 1976 when parts of the county went without any rain for 45 days and households went without tap water for several hours a day.

90 per cent of our water comes from surface water such as reservoirs and rivers.

Here are Top Tips from South West Water for gardeners:

• Use a water butt to collect rainwater – it could fill up with water for free 300 times a year

• Use a watering can instead of a hosepipe

• It’s best to water plants early in the morning, or in the evening, when it will take longer for it to evaporate

• If there is a dry spell, your lawn will not look as lush but it will recover when it rains again. If it needs mowing, set your lawnmower to cut higher and leave clippings where they fall to act as mulch

Top tips for saving water in the home

• Turn off the tap while brushing your teeth

• Keep a jug of water in the fridge so you don’t have to run your tap cold

• Use a bowl for washing up / rinsing fruit and veg – then use this water for plants

• Have a shower instead of a bath

• Only use your dishwasher or washing machine when you have a full load (this will save money on your energy bills too)

• Only fill the kettle with as much water as you need (this will save energy too)

• Fix leaking taps and toilets