Two more firms issue hosepipe bans as calls for widespread restrictions rise

South East Water and Welsh Water announced Temporary Use Bans last week as the hot dry weather continued.

South East said it had no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers from 12 August in light of record high demand (even exceeding the Covid lockdown heatwave), paired with the driest July on record in Kent and the lowest rainfall in Sussex since 1911.

Chief executive, David Hinton, said: “As the long-term forecast for August and September is for similar weather we are taking this step to introduce temporary restrictions on the use of hosepipes and sprinklers to make sure we have enough water for our customers’ essential use, ensure we can serve our vulnerable customers and to protect the local environment.”

South East Water noted it had met its leakage target for 13 consecutive years, but that the very dry ground conditions and the resulting earth movement had caused a 50% increase in bursts along its 9,000 miles of mains.

Welsh Water said a Temporary Use Ban would come in on 19 August for its customers in Pembrokeshire, given the area has received only 60% of expected rainfall between March and July and has experienced record temperatures and increased demand. Ian Christie, managing director of water services, said: “The ban will apply to just over 2% of the three million population we serve in Wales. More broadly we do not intend to introduce restrictions more widely across our operating area."

Southern Water’s already-announced hosepipe ban for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight came into force on Friday.

Also last week, the Environment Agency notified abstraction licence holders in Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire that they may receive notice to restrict the amount of water they can take.

Against this backdrop, there is growing anger from catchment communities and green campaigners at the absence of more widespread hosepipe bans, as evidence of rivers drying up and wildlife struggling mounts. Particularly notable were reports last week that the head of the Thames has moved five miles downstream – with experts saying this has never happened before.

The Met Office said little rain is forecast for this week and temperatures that could rise to the mid-30s.