South East Water have announced that they are restricting the use of hosepipes for customers in Kent and Sussex.
The announcement read:
"Demand for water is the highest we have ever seen for this time of year, reaching 680 million litres on 30 June 2025. This is 105 million litres of water a day more than the average for summer. On days like this, we’re pumping enough water to supply an additional 4 towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne.
We’ve tried everything possible to avoid these restrictions. Despite your help to save water, and our ongoing efforts to manage our water resources, including launching a comprehensive strategy to find and tackle leaks, our reservoir and underground water storage levels are really low.
We’re really grateful to everyone who has been making simple changes at home to save water where you can, and we’re now asking you to hang up your hosepipes for a little while to make sure that there is enough water for all, and to protect the environment.
We understand you may have some questions about the restrictions. You can find detailed FAQs on our website here: https://orlo.uk/TJcYt"
Nusrat Ghani said: "We need to abide by the advice, but like many of you, I am frustrated that due to the company not sorting out their resilience plans, this decision has come so early on in the summer. I appreciate the impact that this decision will have on many local residents & continue pushing South East Water to take serious steps to invest in & future-proof their network as well as deal with unacceptable leaks swiftly."
