A hosepipe ban has been extended to include more of Cornwall and parts of Devon until December 1, despite the wettest March in 40 years.
South West Water (SWW) said the extended restriction would help replenish water supplies at Roadford reservoir ahead of the summer.
Around 390,000 homes in Devon are now affected by the latest restriction which is hoped to be lifted on 1 December or sooner if the area receives drought breaking rainfall.
The initial ban was introduced in August 2022 and covered Cornwall and a small part of north Devon.
A drought was declared for parts of England following the driest summer for 50 years in August 2022
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South West Water said it was taking action to "break the cycle of drought", after reservoir levels fell to their lowest recorded level last year.
However, according to Met Office statistics, England, Wales and Northern Ireland have all had one of their ten wettest Marches on records which go back to 1836.
In England, 119.2mm of rain fell, which is more than double its long-term average, with 104 per cent more rainfall than average.
The ban means households cannot use a hose for activities such as gardening or washing a car with businesses exempt from the restrictions.
In a statement on its website, South West Water said: "Our water resources across the region remain under pressure and as we go into the summer period we have taken the necessary action to safeguard supplies and break the cycle of drought following lower than average levels of rainfall last year and throughout February.
"We are grateful to all our customers and communities for their efforts in reducing daily water usage over the drought period.
"We must ask you to keep saving water where you can, so that our water resources can recover sufficiently for the spring and summer ahead."
David Harris, SWW drought and resilience director, said the ban was estimated to reduce demand by about five per cent.
Roadford reservoir, which services Devon, is at about 70 per cent capacity
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"We understand that our customers don't like these measures... [but] it's actually the responsible thing for us to do at this time ahead of that peak summer demand," he said.
The latest restrictions are in place in all areas covered by the Roadford reservoir in Devon, including Plymouth, Barnstaple, Tavistock and Torbay.
According to SWW's most recent figures Roadford reservoir, which services Devon, is at about 70 per cent capacity, and Colliford reservoir, servicing Cornwall, is at about 60 per cent.
