Peter Melville-Shreeve, associate professor in technology and innovation at the University of Exeter’s centre for resilience in environment, water and waste, said: “I think people perhaps don’t really realise how much water we can use at home… it’s something we can nibble away at.
“I think the key thing with a severe drought is what we need to maintain good behaviour and habits related to being water efficient throughout the year.”
He said reservoirs were operating on long timescales so if people saved on water through the winter, it would then be available in the summer.
He said: “Saving water and minimising water demand in the summer is not the requirement.
“We need to be constantly aware of this and be efficient throughout the year.”
The Environment Agency (EA) said water supplies had been significantly impacted by high demand following the “exceptionally hot and dry summer”, record temperatures and prolonged periods without any rainfall which is set to continue for the rest of October.
Rather than replenishing during the autumn, reservoir levels have continued to fall with Wimbleball on Exmoor, which supplies water to about 400,000 people including Exeter, dropping to 14.9% capacity in South West Water’s latest data.