People living in Cornwall and parts of Devon will have to reduce their water consumption from next Tuesday as South West Water will introduce a “temporary” hosepipe ban.

The measure, the region’s first in 26 years follows the official declaration of the biggest drought since 1935 in parts of England.

People in Cornwall and parts of north Devon are asked not to use a hosepipe to water gardens or clean cars.

Lisa Gahan, the Director responsible for water resources at South West Water, said: “Due to the extremely hot and prolonged dry weather, we believe the right thing to do is to introduce a temporary use ban, acting now in areas of the region where we are forecasting pressures on reservoirs, to protect water resources and to safeguard the environment, allowing rivers and reservoirs to recharge over the winter months.”

The Met Office has issued a thunderstorm warning for this week – the Environment Agency has warned that thunderstorms on the dry ground could lead to flooding in many parts across England.