MP for Eastbourne Josh Babarinde has expressed anger at South East Water’s decision to implement a hosepipe ban.

The Liberal Democrats President shared a letter penned to South East Water CEO John Halsall in which he expressed ‘serious concern’ for the ban that is set to take effect on Saturday, July 25 from 0:01am.

While the ban is not yet in effect, the utility company has asked customers to pause hosepipe use immediately following a summer of reduced rainfall and continued hot weather and high demand.

Mr Babarinde has written to ask Mr Halsall what action the company is taking to ‘upgrade infrastructure, reduce leakage, and improve resilience’ against water outages and restrictions.

Josh Babarinde MP in the House of Commons. Photo: Josh Babarinde

placeholder image — Josh Babarinde MP in the House of Commons. Photo: Josh Babarinde

In a statement, the Liberal Democrats President said: "I am appalled by today's announcement that South East Water will impose a hosepipe ban from Saturday.

"This is the direct result of years of underinvestment in infrastructure and a failure to build the resilience our communities need.

"Residents across Eastbourne and the South East deserve a reliable water supply. They should not be paying the price for years of missed investment and repeated failures."

Douglas Whitfield, Water Supply Director at South East Water, said: “We completely understand why everyone reaches for the hose when the weather gets this hot. It’s natural to want to enjoy our gardens and cool down, and we know how frustrating it is to hear that restrictions are coming into place.

“Our teams have worked incredibly hard to prepare for this summer, but the sheer scale of the sustained heatwaves and lower levels of rainfall mean water resources are starting to be impacted.

“Our absolute priority has to be making sure there is always enough water for everyone’s essential daily needs: drinking, cooking and hygiene.”

Mr Whitfield added: “We recognise how challenging these repeated restrictions are for our Sussex customers, by this being the fourth ban in five years.

“Our priority is to restore long-term resilience to break this cycle. We’re actively developing new water sources to build a more resilient supply for your community and to secure our water future.

“I would like to thank everyone who has already taken steps to try and reduce their overall water use.”