Southern Water becomes third company to announce hosepipe ban - but is Sussex affected?

It has become the third company – after South East Water and Thames Water – to announce hosepipe bans.

The Environment Agency said it had declared a state of prolonged dry weather in large parts of Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Surrey, following the driest spring since 1893.

This led to Thames Water introducing a hosepipe ban affecting 1.1 million people across several postcode areas. The water firm said the measure would come into place across Swindon, Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire, Berkshire and Wiltshire on July 22, due to a lack of rain and increasing demand, which had stretched supplies.

Temporary restrictions were also announced by South East Water, on Friday, July 11, meaning customers in Sussex have been prevented from using hosepipes for watering their gardens, washing cars, windows and patios, or filling swimming and paddling pools.

And on Wednesday, July 16, a Southern Water statement announced: “Households across Hampshire and the Isle of Wight are being asked to ditch their hosepipes from today – to protect our environment and keep taps running through the hot summer.

“A temporary use ban – commonly known as a hosepipe ban – follows the driest spring in over 100 years, and the warmest June on record, putting our rivers under serious strain. This action comes after similar moves by other English water companies.

“In Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, the Test and Itchen chalk streams supply most of our water, but are at critically low levels, down 24 per cent on normal flows for this time of year.”

South East Water said ‘record-breaking demand’ for drinking water has put ‘significant’ pressure on supplies.

Thames Water, meanwhile, said prolonged hot weather meant there was less water available as well as a higher demand, with customers using up to 30 per cent more water when temperatures were above 25C. Customers living in areas affected by the ban are asked not to use hosepipes, including for cleaning cars, watering gardens or allotments, filling paddling pools and swimming pools or cleaning windows.

Although it is yet to introduce any restrictions, a spokesperson for Portsmouth Water explained that, as parts of the country continue to experience the driest weather on record, the company continues to ‘strongly advise everyone to use water wisely’.

They added: “In the first six months of this year, Portsmouth Water customers have seen over 40 per cent less rainfall compared to the long-term average which we have measured since 1995.

"Whilst our current groundwater levels are two metres below the long-term average, we aren't currently anticipating introducing water restrictions such as Temporary Use Bans (commonly known as hosepipe bans).

"As the dry weather continues, we continue to closely monitor the situation, and we ask customers to be as efficient as possible with their water use.

"Looking at the wider challenge, this year highlights more than ever the need to work together to save water. The Southeast as a whole is classified as a water stressed region. While hot weather brings this to the forefront, working together to improve water efficiency will continue to be important for us all as a result of climate change and a growing population.”

Explaining why a hosepipe ban was introduced, South East Water pointed towards Met Office reports, which indicate this spring was the driest since 1893, with dry conditions ‘expected to persist throughout the warmer months’.

A spokesperson added: “Demand for drinking water in Kent and Sussex has reached record levels since May – with warm and dry weather fuelling customer demand to a much higher level than the company is able to consistently provide.

"This situation has left South East Water with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers in both counties, affecting around 1.4 million customers.”

The water supplier said it continues to monitor the situation for Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire customers.

David Hinton, Chief Executive Officer of South East Water, added: “Providing the public water supply during this prolonged period of hot and dry weather continues to be challenging.

"Water supply resources have been significantly stretched, but are pleased that so far we have been able to largely meet customer demands, through balancing our network and putting our newly arrived tanker fleet into operation straight away.

“However, we know that continued demand at this level presents a serious concern to ensure that we can protect the environment and keep everyone supplied.

"Despite asking for customers' help to use water for essential uses only, regrettably we’ve now been left with no choice but to introduce this temporary use ban restriction to protect customers supplies and the environment across Kent and Sussex.

“We continue to monitor the long term weather forecast, and will review this decision on a regular basis.

"Restricting the use of hosepipes and sprinklers to make sure we have enough water for our customers’ essential use will ensure we can serve our vulnerable customers and to protect the local environment.

“We are very aware that climate change and other factors are increasing the frequency of these events.

"Hosepipe restrictions are an integral part of our drought mitigation in the UK and are designed to protect supplies and the environment.

“I would like to thank everyone who has already taken steps to try and reduce their overall water use but despite this, demand still remains very high and the forecast suggests a dry summer is highly likely which is why we have taken this decision to bring in temporary use restrictions.”

When it did not have any restrictions in place, Southern Water told this newspaper that it had been emailing customers in Hampshire, ‘asking them to use water wisely’ as river levels are falling.

A spokesperson added: “We continue to monitor the situation daily.

“As far as Sussex and Kent are concerned almost all our water comes underground. You’ll find our water resources position here: https://www.southernwater.co.uk/about-us/environmental-performance/water-levels/groundwater-levels/.”

With the Environment Agency today declaring the Solent and South Downs in ‘prolonged dry weather’, Southern Water said it ‘must protect these precious river ecosystems’ and ‘make sure there is enough water to go round, by taking action now’.

"That’s why we’re asking for the help of our communities to no longer use hosepipes for activities like watering gardens, filling paddling pools or washing cars,” a statement read.

"By doing this, alongside our ongoing round-the-clock work to reduce leaks and optimise our water supply works, reservoirs and underground pipelines, we can work together to make a big difference.”

A hosepipe uses 1,000 litres of water an hour – that’s one person’s weekly water use in just 60 minutes. ‘Simple swaps’ like using a watering can or bucket instead will ‘bring usage down quickly’, Southern Water said.

Water managing director Tim McMahon said: “We’re sorry we’re taking this step, but as other water companies have already done, we have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region.

“In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest. We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic Salmon and Southern Damselfly.

“Our teams are working 24/7 to find and fix leaks faster than ever, using a wide range of innovative solutions like drones, sensors and even sniffer dogs, and are ensuring that our pipes, reservoirs and water supply works are working as efficiently as possible – but sadly this is not enough.

“We really need your help too so we can reduce use, and setting aside hosepipes can make a huge difference. Only by working together can we make sure there’s enough water to go around for customers and the environment. Thank you for your support.”