Hosepipe ban introduced by South East Water as heatwave causes surge in demand

Company urges customers in Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire to use water only for essential purposes as temperatures soar

A hosepipe ban has been put in place by South East Water in Kent , Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, after a surge in demand amid the ongoing heatwave .

The company said it treated and supplied 644m litres of water on Sunday 21 June, 56m litres more than the average daily demand for June of 588m litres.

South East Water warned that demand was likely to rise further as temperatures increase in the coming days. It said the restrictions were necessary to help maintain supplies, particularly for customers living at the furthest points of the network or on higher ground.

Other water companies have also encouraged customers to reduce usage. In a post on X, Wessex Water urged people to avoid watering their lawns, writing: “Grass is tougher than it looks. It naturally copes during hot, dry spells,” adding that “with warmer weather returning [reducing lawn watering] is an easy way to save water”.

In other parts of the UK, residents are also facing water shortages due to supply incidents. A burst water main in Witney and a third-party pollution incident in West Oxfordshire have left homes with low water pressure or no water at all.

A West Oxfordshire district council spokesperson said: “With hot weather continuing across the district, please check in on vulnerable neighbours, friends and relatives, particularly if they are without water.”

Yorkshire Water , meanwhile, has taken precautions by setting up bottled water stations and delivering bottled water to customers on its priority services register.

South East Water is the only water company to issue a hosepipe ban so far, but experts have stressed the importance of conserving water more broadly.

Helen Wakeham, chair of the National Drought Group and director of water at the Environment Agency, said last week: “Heatwaves will continue to be a concern as they can drive spikes in water demand, so we need to continue to work collaboratively to use our finite water wisely.”