South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban affecting 2.4 million customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire from Saturday, as the region experiences an unprecedented dry spell and declining water supplies. The company is urging customers to immediately stop using hosepipes for gardens, cars, patios, boats, or swimming pools.
Expansion of Existing Restrictions
The ban, which previously applied only to customers in Kent, has been extended to cover a wider area. The firm cited a decline in river levels and the need to protect groundwater sources after lower than average rainfall, hot weather, and high demand for water.
Douglas Whitfield, water supply director at South East Water, said: “Our absolute priority has to be making sure there is always enough water for everyone’s essential daily needs: drinking, cooking and hygiene. To safeguard our shared resource and help prevent any homes from facing a sudden loss of water, we sadly need to ask our communities to not use their hosepipes immediately. We are deeply sorry for the disruption this causes, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone helping us protect water supplies in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.”
Historic Dry Spell
The Met Office reported that central and south-east England have experienced the longest unbroken spell of no recorded rainfall this century. An average of zero rainfall was measured at weather stations in both regions for 14 consecutive days from July 2 to July 15. This marks the longest dry period for south-east England since a 15-day spell in April 1997, and for central England since a 14-day run in June 1996. Data for July 16 could extend these rain-free streaks further.
Reservoir Levels Below Average
According to the Environment Agency's weekly dry weather and drought report released on Friday, reservoir storage levels in England currently stand at 79%, approximately five percentage points below the long-term average for this time of year. Six reservoirs are classified as having notably low levels, including Wimbleball in Somerset, Grafham in Cambridgeshire, and Hanningfield in Essex. Blagdon reservoir in Somerset is classed as exceptionally low.
Heatwave Context
The hosepipe ban comes amid a prolonged period of hot weather. So far in 2026, there have been 28 days when temperatures exceeded 30°C somewhere in the UK—seven in May, eight in June, and 13 in July. The record for the number of 30°C-plus days in a calendar year is 34, set in 1995.
