Kent and Sussex residents urged to use water when ‘essential’

People are being asked to “work together” with water companies and only turn on their taps when “essential” to help conserve falling resources.

South East Water (SEW) has warned its customers in Sussex that reservoir levels are very low following the recent spate of hot weather, meaning the hosepipe ban it introduced across the county and parts of Kent last month is set to stay in place.

And, while Southern Water has yet to impose such a ban on its consumers in Kent, it is also asking them “to do their bit” to help counter the effects of “driest spring in over a 100 years”.

Suggestions include not washing cars, refraining from “fully flushing” toilets and showering in under four minutes.

Turning off the tap while cleaning your teeth and re-using rain water to tend to the garden were other options mooted.

A SEW spokesperson said: “Our surface water reservoirs, Ardingly and Arlington, are an important source of water and are falling quicker and earlier than usual.

“Most of the water in them is taken from the nearby rivers, whose flow is much lower than normal because of multiple heatwaves.

“The reservoirs have not been this low at this time of year since the drought of 2022 and, with more warm weather due very soon, we’re asking people protect resources and keep water use around the home to essential purposes only – namely drinking, washing and cooking.”

They added that the company had “dramatically stepped up” its leak repair programme, on which its spends around £40m a year.

Southern Water said that it had also reduced leaks by 20% in the last year and is using “smart technology, drones and even specially trained dogs to sniff out hidden problems in rural areas”.

It explained that much of Kent’s water comes from natural stores held deep underground, which, although faring better than other parts of UK, are still lower than normal.

So, while the firm is working to “build the UK’s first new reservoir in over 40 years and the country’s first ever water recycling plant”, it asked that residents save water how they can and “keep the taps flowing”.