Wednesday 3 August 2022 08:09 AM South East Water announces hosepipe ban as Britain's dry spell continues trends now
A second hosepipe ban hitting millions more households in South East England from next Friday was announced today as Britain's dry spell continues.
South East Water has confirmed a 'temporary usage ban' from August 12, meaning the use of hosepipes or sprinklers will be restricted for people in Kent and Sussex.
Around 2.2million customers across the counties will be hit by the ban, with the supplier saying the demand for water this summer has broken all previous records.
South East Water, which lost 88.7million litres of water a day through leaking pipes last year, is the second UK water firm to bring in a hosepipe ban so far this summer.
Last week, Southern Water announced a ban for nearly a million of its customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight that comes into force this Friday.
THEN AND NOW: The water level at Bewl Water reservoir (left, in May 2021; and right, last Tuesday) near Lamberhurst in Kent, which is currently measured at 67 per cent of its capacity
It will mean hosepipes cannot be used to water gardens or clean cars, and ornamental ponds and private swimming pools must not be filled.
Flouting the restriction could lead to prosecution and a court fine of up to £1,000.
An internal South East Water briefing on plans for the new ban, seen by the Daily Mail yesterday, noted that other water companies could follow suit as they are 'really thinking hard on their positions'.
The firm has already called on its customers to voluntarily turn off their hosepipes and sprinkler systems as the hot, dry weather continues.
South East Water said in an announcement today: 'The use of a hosepipe or sprinkler will be restricted from Friday, August 12 for our customers in Kent and Sussex.
Very dry grass at Boughton and Eastwell Cricket Club in Ashford, Kent, pictured last Friday
'This has been a time of extreme weather conditions across the UK. Official figures show this is the driest July on record since 1935 and the period between November 2021 and July 2022 has been the driest eight-month stint since 1976.
'During July in the South East,
