Hosepipe ban announced for Kent and Sussex amid ‘record 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.
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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