South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban for its customers in Kent and Sussex and the use of a hosepipe or sprinkler is now restricted.
South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban for its customers in Kent and Sussex and the use of a hosepipe or sprinkler is now restricted.
Announcing the ban, the water company said:
“We have been left with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers within our Kent and Sussex supply areas until further notice.
“We are taking this step to ensure we have enough water for both essential uses and to protect the environment.”
Demand for drinking water in Kent and Sussex has reached record levels in June – with customers using a similar amount of water as in the drought last year.
The South East has experienced a prolonged period of dry weather, meaning the water company has been pumping much more drinking water to customer taps than normal.
This, coupled with the high temperatures experienced in recent weeks, has seen demand for treated water reach record levels.
Over the last week, this has begun to impact customers across Kent and Sussex, who have experienced low pressure or no water, as stocks of drinking water have reduced to very low levels in local storage tanks.
The temporary restrictions will mean that customers will not be able to use hosepipes for watering gardens, washing cars, patios and boats and filling swimming and paddling pools. This will be enforced from 26 June.
The company said that while prosecution is a last resort, anyone who doesn’t follow the Temporary Use Ban may be fined, on conviction, up to £1,000.
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