Starting July 3, households in nine regions across Kent will face £1,000 fines if caught washing their cars using hosepipes, as South East Water enforces a new hosepipe ban this summer. The ban prohibits the use of mains-connected hosepipes and sprinklers for non-essential activities, including car washing, due to critically low water supplies exacerbated by extreme heat.
Other water providers have echoed the call for conservation. Wessex Water urged customers on social media platform X to limit lawn watering, emphasizing that grass can generally withstand dry spells without frequent watering. They stressed that cutting back on lawn irrigation is a simple yet effective way to preserve water during warm weather.
Helen Wakeham, chair of the National Drought Group and Director of Water at the Environment Agency, highlighted the ongoing challenges posed by heatwaves. “Heatwaves will continue to be a concern as they can drive spikes in water demand, so we need to continue to work collaboratively to use our finite water wisely,” she said.
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Matthew Dean, Head of Operations Control at South East Water, explained the strain the hot weather placed on water supplies. “Extreme temperatures have caused a surge in demand, while our storage reservoirs are running low in many parts of Kent. We anticipated this and increased output from our treatment works and deployed tankers around the clock to supplement supply,” he noted.
Despite these efforts, Dean warned that some customers—especially those living on higher ground or at network extremities—might experience low water pressure or supply interruptions during peak times. He urged residents to limit water use strictly to essential activities such as drinking, washing, and cooking while the hot weather persists.
In communications to customers, South East Water encouraged adopting recycled water wherever possible, such as reusing bath, shower, or sink water for watering gardens. “Act now and do all you can to cut down on non-essential water use,” the email advised, underscoring the urgency of preserving dwindling water resources.