A second water company has imposed a hosepipe ban as the ongoing dry weather and hot temperatures across England result in record-breaking water demand.
South East Water said the ban means customers in Kent and Sussex will not be able to use hosepipes for activities such as watering gardens and washing cars, windows and patios, or filling swimming and paddling pools.
It will be enforced from July 18 and until further notice, with those who ignore the ban facing fines of up to £1,000.
The move comes after Yorkshire Water announced a hosepipe ban would apply to the region from Friday in an effort to protect supplies as the UK faces more dry weather in the coming weeks.
South East Water said in a statement: “Demand for drinking water in Kent and Sussex has reached record levels since May – with the ongoing warm and dry weather, we’re all using far more water than usual.
“This situation has left us with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers, so we can help our reservoirs and underground water storage recover.
“We also continue to monitor the situation in our Western region, where we serve customers in parts of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.”
Customers will only be allowed to use a hosepipe when it is required for unavoidable health or safety reasons, for the welfare of animals – including fish – and if the hosepipe is not connected to mains water supply, according to the water company.
All four UK nations saw their warmest spring on record this year, with England experiencing the driest spring since 1893, according to the Met Office.
Environment Secretary Steve Reed said the Government has a “short-term plan as well as a long-term (plan) to make sure that this country remains water secure” as he was challenged over Government action on the increasing number of droughts.
Mr Reed cited plans to build nine new reservoirs in the long term and a £104 billion water sector investment recently approved by regulator OfWat that will contribute to upgrading leaking pipes in the short term.
“There has not been another reservoir built in this country for 30 years,” he told the PA news agency on Friday.
“The situation that we inherited from the previous Government was that we were due to see water rationing in a decade just like (it) happens in Mediterranean countries.
“Because we’ve secured this investment and are now working to implement these infrastructure plans, that is no longer a threat the British people need worry about.”
The company said demand for water has consequently increased to the highest levels ever recorded for this time of year, reaching 680 million litres on June 30.
This is 105 million litres of water a day more than the average for summer, it added.
“On days like this, we’re pumping enough water to supply an additional four towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne,” South East Water said.
Despite ongoing efforts to manage water resources, including a plan to tackle leaks, the company said its reservoir and underground water storage levels are “really low”.
“We’ve tried everything possible to avoid these restrictions,” it said.
“If we don’t put a hosepipe ban in place now, there’s a really high risk of customers experiencing widespread issues such as low pressure or no water.”
The company’s raw water levels are so low they have also exceeded the limits in its drought plan, South East Water said.
“(It) will soon start to impact the environment,” it added.
“The amount of water we are allowed to take from our rivers is controlled by the Environment Agency.”
South East Water said it will be publishing the details of the restrictions on its website and in the local press in the week commencing July 14.
The restrictions will be lifted when it is “satisfied that both customer demand and water supply levels are restored to a point where they are not breaching our drought plan”, the company added.
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