South East Water said demand for drinking water in Kent and Sussex hit record levels in June
A hose and sprinkler ban has been placed on people in Kent and Sussex.
South East Water said it had no choice after demand for drinking water reached “record levels” in June, similar to last year’s drought.
Up to 4,000 customers have been without water or with low pressure since Monday due to supply problems.
The water company had urged people to use water for essential purposes only, but has now issued an immediate ban on hoses and sprinklers.
The measures mean that the equipment will not be allowed to be used for watering gardens, cleaning cars and filling swimming pools.
It is understood that the temporary use ban can only be enforced after ten days of inquiry, meaning that after June 26, violators of the rules could be fined £1,000.
Bottle stations have been installed in the two counties and supply problems are expected to continue through Sunday.
Douglas Whitfield, South East Water’s director of operations, told BBC Radio Kent that the hot weather had caused demand to outstrip supply.
“We are pumping as much water as we can into the system, but the water is being used before it reaches customers who are currently at the end of our system,” he said.
South East Water said its facility is running at full capacity, with every available water treatment job and water source producing treated water to meet demand.
Despite this, the company said it could not bring the potable water storage tanks back to “satisfactory levels”.
If you live in Kent or Sussex, you cannot use a hose for:
- water your garden
- aquatic plants
- Wash your car, patio or boat
- Fill your swimming pool or children’s pool
- Fill or maintain a domestic pond
The firm said demand for water had broken all previous records, including during Covid lockdown heatwave periods.
It said it had produced an additional 120 million liters of water a day, the equivalent of the supply of four cities the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne.
The company serves 2.3 million people in Hampshire, Berkshire, Surrey, Sussex and Kent.
Customers took to Twitter to express their anger over the hose ban, with some blaming high usage on leaks.
One said: “That will be the MANY MAJOR water pipes that have burst recently! My local area said demand was at an all time high when NONE of us HAD any tap water! Because it was falling off from the huge leaks !Just CUSTOMER use is?”
Mr Whitefield told BBC Radio Kent that while leaks were a problem South East Water was trying to address, supply problems were not caused by leaks.
Wealden Borough Councilor Michael Lunn said he had spoken to 20 farmers affected by the supply drop, including one with 40 head of cattle and calving heifers, who were “hysterical”.
“It’s really serious,” he said, adding: “As far as I’m concerned they (South East Water) are very, very slow to respond to this crisis.
“We were aware this was going to happen. We’re not shocked or surprised, we’re disappointed and we’re really angry.”
Bottled water stations have opened at Mayfield Memorial Hall, Rotherfield Village Hall, Sparrows Green Recreation Ground in Wadhurst and Headcorn Aerodrome in Ashford.
The shortage has provoked criticism from customers and local deputies directed at the water company.
The situation was described as “completely unacceptable” by Greg Clark, Conservative MP for Tunbridge Wells.
Met Office spokesman Stephen Dixon said the rest of this week will be warmer than average for the time of year across the UK.
In East Sussex, temperatures reached 29°C on Friday, while parts of Kent could reach a high of 27°C on Saturday.
However, in the next two weeks, heavy rains may affect parts of the southeast, according to the Weather Bureau.
South East Water experienced supply problems in December 2022 after pipes burst due to rapidly thawing snow and ice overnight, leaving thousands of homes in Kent and Sussex without water before Christmas.
A government minister told the provider earlier this year that it “must act urgently” to significantly improve its performance.