Anglian Water has announced a hosepipe ban for its more than five million customers across the East of England.
The ban, announced on Friday morning, will see customers prohibited from using hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens, washing cars, or filling swimming and paddling pools.
It will come into force at 1am on Saturday, but people are being asked to "live within the spirit of these restrictions immediately" in anticipation of the formal ban.
The utility is just the latest to enforce a hosepipe ban as the UK endures another prolonged heatwave, with officials warning that drought conditions are becoming increasingly likely.
On Thursday, the UK recorded its eighth day at or above 34C in a single calendar year.
That eclipsed the previous high of seven days set during the scorching summers of 1976 and 2020.
Dr Geoff Darch, head of strategic asset planning for Anglian Water, said: “This year has been exceptionally hot and dry, and we’re already into the third heatwave of the summer.
“Every day of sustained hot weather increases the challenge of balancing supply and demand, and we are now at the point where we need to ask customers to help by hanging up the hosepipe, letting lawns go brown, cars go dirty and using water even more wisely to help protect the environment and ensure water remains available for all customers.”
Meanwhile, Cambridge Water also imposed a temporary hosepipe ban for its 350,000 customers, a measure not seen in three decades.
In a notice issued on Thursday afternoon, the company revealed that despite its teams working "around the clock" to maintain supplies, local water resources are "under significant pressure" with demand reaching unprecedented levels following prolonged low rainfall.
These new restrictions follow an earlier ban introduced by South East Water on 3 July, affecting areas of Kent including Ashford, Canterbury, Faversham, Maidstone, Sevenoaks, Snodland, Tenterden, and Tunbridge Wells.
Further restrictions are also imminent for about one million Southern Water customers across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with their hosepipe ban set to commence on Friday.
UK officials have recently warned that the risk of drought conditions in various parts of the country is becoming increasingly likely.
Authorities are closely monitoring East Anglia, Devon, and Cornwall, as water companies continue to grapple with increasingly tight resources.
