More than two million people across the south of England face a hosepipe ban from Saturday after record-breaking temperatures and months of dry weather forced South East Water to expand its restrictions.
The ban, which already covered parts of Kent since 3 July, now extends to 1.5 million additional customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire – bringing the total affected to 2.4 million.
“South East Water extends hosepipe ban to 2.4 million across four counties after record heat and drought.”
Douglas Whitfield, the company's water supply director, said he was "deeply sorry" and "incredibly grateful to everyone helping us protect water supplies" after exceptionally hot and dry weather. The UK recorded its hottest June day ever at 37.3°C last month.
The region has received only 55% of its average rainfall since March. Wisley in Surrey has had no rain for 31 days. Water levels at Arlington Reservoir in East Sussex dropped so low that the company's drought plan required restrictions.
Eastbourne MP Josh Babarinde said he was "appalled", calling the ban "the direct result of years of underinvestment in upgrading infrastructure and building resilience".
Under the restrictions, households cannot use a hosepipe for cleaning, filling ponds, or watering plants. The ban officially starts at 00:01 BST on Saturday, but the company has asked customers to abide immediately.
Toby Cooper, landlord of The Bull in Tunbridge Wells, said he had to close on Saturday evening, losing between £5,000 and £6,000 in trade. "We understand there can be issues in infrastructure but this is the third time in a year that we've had to close due to a lack of water," he said. "It's getting very frustrating especially for a small business where every penny counts."
Mike Keil, chief executive of the Consumer Council for Water, said South East Water had "a responsibility to get a grip of its network". He added: "People in the area are sick to death of living under a constant cloud of uncertainty as to whether their taps will keep running and it also undermines customers' own motivation to save water."
The water company, which relies on reservoirs, was ordered by industry watchdog Ofwat to spend £30.5 million on improvements. In its annual report, it warned it needed fresh financing to stay afloat after taking a £55 million hit from outages over the winter.