Hosepipe ban lifted in Kent and Sussex

South East Water customers in parts of Kent and Sussex can use their hosepipes again as restrictions on their use have been lifted today (Thursday, 5 February).

A Temporary Use Ban (TUB) was put in place for 1.4 million customers by the drinking water company on 18 July 2025 following the driest spring in England since 1893, resulting in record demands for water. 

Since then, thanks to the support of customers observing the restrictions, and heavy rainfall during the past two months, there has been a steady recovery of water resources which has helped ease the pressure on water supplies and the environment where all water is taken from.

Rainfall across the winter months to date has been above the long term average. This has helped Ardingly Reservoir to completely fill up and Arlington Reservoir to recover to 83 per cent full. The ground has responded by retaining the moisture and allowing water to seep down and recharge the aquifers that hold groundwater.

Nick Price, Head of Water Resources for South East Water said: “We’d like to thank all our customers for following the restrictions and finding ways to cut down on their water use. We appreciate that restrictions impact the way people use water and carry out daily tasks.

“Despite the recent wet weather, last year England experienced the driest spring since 1893, and the hottest summer on record, with four separate heatwaves. Our water resources felt the impact of this. We have been following our Drought Plan and closely monitoring all water resources to make sure they fully recover through the winter. This is why we are only able to remove restrictions now. 

“Due to the consistent rainfall in the winter months to date, we can lift our Temporary Use Ban as we have seen our reservoirs and groundwater sources recover.”

“Looking ahead, we do need people to continue to be mindful about how much water they use so we can protect our water resources and help us meet demand across the spring and summer months this year.”

Through its Water Resources Management Plan, which is consulted on, and then approved by Defra, the drinking water company sets out how it will provide a reliable and resilient supply of drinking water during the next 50 years. This considers the need for new infrastructure which may include new storage reservoirs, desalination plants, water recycling schemes and strategic transfers from other regions. Further information can be found at southeastwater.co.uk/about/our-plans/future-water

During this exceptional period, South East Water has also been working in partnership with farmers to improve the quality and quantity of water at its source, for example by planting cover crops or installing rainwater harvesting systems.

South East Water is continuing to work hard to fix leaks on its network to meet its leakage reduction targets. In the last year the company found and fixed more than 18,000 leaks on its network and a further 6,000 customer side leaks. This is 12 per cent more than in the previous year.

From January 2026, the drinking water company began upgrading meters across its network in preparation for smart meter technology. The roll-out began in parts of Kent, and is designed to transform how customers understand and manage their water use and help identify leaks.

The latest demand for water and reservoir level charts, along with water efficiency tips, can be seen at southeastwater.co.uk/about/updates/water-latest and southeastwater.co.uk/help/save-water 

For initiatives South East Water has underway with farms go to: southeastwater.co.uk/about/our-environment/catchment-management