Desalination plant used to boost water supplies

Jersey Water said a dry spring had seen its reservoir levels decrease by about 140 million litres

A desalination plant is being used to bolster water supplies in Jersey after reserves fell to lower than average for the time of year.

Jersey Water said it had started using its plant due to its reservoir levels being down by about 140 million litres, which equated to about a week's supply of water for the whole island.

The company said it had already converted 30 million litres of sea water in the last seven days. In England, millions of people are facing temporary hosepipe bans following the country's driest start to the year since 1976.

Mark Bowden, head of water resilience and emergency planning, said no water bans were currently in place but they would not be ruled out if needed.

He said: "The recent rainfall has been very welcome, but we remain cautious and will continue to monitor conditions closely over the next month or so.

"Bringing the desalination plant into operation was a strategic decision to safeguard our water supply, but it's a safety net, not a silver bullet.

"If we face more dry weather over the summer and into autumn and winter, we will need the collective efforts of the whole island to make sure we have enough water."

Jersey Water said with no further rain, the island had enough water for 93 days.

The company said islanders could make simple changes to reduce their water use, including cutting time in the shower down to four minutes from seven, using watering cans instead of hosepipes and sprinklers in the garden, and not washing vehicles.

It asked islanders to do their best to save water as the desalination plant on the south west coast cost more than £5,000 a day to run.