A water company has come under fire for telling Britons in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave to use less water, even though reservoirs are full to 90 per cent capacity. South West Water has advised parents to be conservative when filling up kiddie paddling pools as temperatures soar this summer.
Regional Context
The water firm covers Dorset, Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall — four regions that were battered by months of heavy rainfall earlier this year. Cornwall recorded its wettest winter since 1836, while parts of Somerset became so waterlogged that a major incident was declared due to severe flooding. Now, as Britain swelters in a record-breaking 35°C May heatwave, parents have been advised to take a half-full approach to splashy relief for their children.
Public Backlash
Liz Northcott, 74, from Cornwall, told the Sun: “My great-grandchildren are in the paddling pool, and there will be no half measures. They don’t have a shortage, so why tell us to use less water?” The criticism comes after water bosses were recently slapped with a £24 million fine in March over a series of sewage spills, raising questions about priorities.
Company Defence
South West Water has defended its advice, stating it encourages customers to "use water wisely" all year round, regardless of the weather. Industry bosses claim sudden spikes in hot weather strain the entire network, even if reservoir levels are healthy. In the south-east, Kent and Sussex have already faced low pressure and outages as demand surged by nearly 100 million litres above normal.
Infrastructure Strain
South East Water reported on Tuesday: "Yesterday, 670 million litres of drinking water was used across our supply area, which is almost 100 million litres more than the average for this time of the year. This has led to our storage reservoirs running low in several parts of Kent. Our fleet of tankers has been working 24/7 putting additional water into the network." However, some customers on higher ground or at the far end of the network may experience low pressure or supply interruptions until temperatures decrease.
Half-Term Cooling
As a result, families are flocking to Britain's beaches and parks to cool off during the half-term break. High street shops have seen sales of fans, ice, and sunscreen soar as households desperately try to stay cool and sun safe.
