Temporary hosepipe restrictions for South East Water’s Kent and Sussex customers

Record-breaking demand for drinking water has put significant pressure on drinking water supplies, as the region grapples with a prolonged dry period and an approaching third heatwave of the summer.

Met Office reports indicate this spring was the driest since 1893, with dry conditions expected to persist throughout the warmer months.

At the start of the year, South East Water’s storage of raw (untreated) water was good. However, demand from May onwards has seen the company’s raw water levels fall faster and earlier than usual. They have now reached a point where they have exceeded the limits in the company’s drought plan and will soon start to also impact the environment. 

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. It continues to monitor the situation in its Western region, where it serves customers in parts of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.  To see how much water is being used, click here.

In recent weeks demand for water has increased to the highest levels 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, South East Water is pumping enough water to supply an additional four towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne.

South East Water is aware there are a number of leaks on the network and it is working hard to fix these. In the last year the company found and fixed over 18,000 leaks on its network and a further 6,000 customer side leaks. This is more than 12 per cent than in the previous year.

David Hinton, Chief Executive Officer, South East Water, said: “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.

The temporary restrictions, announced today, will mean customers will be prevented from using hosepipes for watering their gardens, washing cars, windows and patios, or filling swimming and paddling pools.

“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.” 

Further information on exemptions to restrictions can be viewed on the company’s website at: www.southeastwater.co.uk/tubs

For water saving tips along with free water efficiency gadgets go to: www.southeastwater.co.uk/savewaterinthesun

For information on the latest water demand levels across the region go to: www.southeastwater.co.uk/waterlatest

To sign-up for the company’s Priority Services Register which is available for customers with medical conditions, restricted mobility, additional needs, sight and hearing issues who may need some extra support contact the Customer Care Team on 0800 952 4000 or go to www.southeastwater.co.uk/psr