Millions of households across Kent and Sussex are facing fines of up to £1,000 if they are caught using hosepipes or sprinklers from today.
South East Water’s hosepipe ban came into effect as part of emergency measures to supply drinking water after it saw record levels of demand in June.
Measures taken in the South-East mirror those that have been in effect throughout Devon and Cornwall since April after South West Water introduced a ban to help the region cope with drought.
New restrictions mean millions of customers will now be forced to ration their water supply as ‘customer demand for treated water [has] reach record levels’ over the ‘prolonged period of dry weather’.
The ‘temporary usage ban’ was announced by the company on June 16, but could only come officially into effect ten days later, on June 26.
Under the new rules, almost 2.2 million residents will no longer be able to use waterpipes to water their garden, clean their cars or fill up paddling pools.
Four counties across Britain have been slapped by hosepipe bans due to warm weather
Under the new regulations customers will be prevented from using hosepipes in their garden
Should they be caught breaking any of these new rules they could be hit by fines of up to £1,000.
On their website, South East Water lists a few exemptions to the ban including the watering of sports fields outside peak usage hours and ‘the watering of new lawns at domestic premises, where this cannot reasonably be undertaken with a watering can and the turf was laid before the onset of the ban.’
Speaking to customers, David Hinton, chief executive of South East Water, said: ‘This situation has developed much more rapidly than last year. Understandably, we’ve seen customer demand increase in line with the hotter weather, however this has impacted our ability to keep all customers in supply at all times.
‘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 across Kent and Sussex.
‘The long-term forecast for the rest of the summer is for a dry period with little rainfall, although temperatures may reduce slightly.
‘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.’
In the South West, a hosepipe ban has been in place since April due to the region being affected by drought.
People living in Cornwall and Devon have been unable to use their hoses or sprinklers on the risk of fines
A spokesman for South East Water told MailOnline they were only asking for ‘people’s help’ and that the £1,000 fines were not something they enjoyed giving out.
They said: ‘We find our customers are very supportive and understanding of the need to save water.
‘If a customer contravenes the prohibition, it is an offence, and if convicted, the customer could face a fine of up to £1,000.
‘However, prosecution is very much a last resort and something no company wants to have to do.
‘Instead, we are asking for people’s help as we are restoring our water levels.’
