A hosepipe ban has been announced by South East Water in parts of Kent and Sussex following prolonged dry weather and a 50% increase in pipe bursts.
The company asked its customers to restrict the use of sprinklers and hosepipes from 12 August to protect stressed water sources as the long-term forecast for August and September shows the dry weather will continue.
Dave Hinton, chief executive, said: “With the lack of rainfall, the environment is also under considerable pressure with our underground water aquifers below average for the time of year across Kent and Sussex and raw water reservoirs also at a lower level for the time of year. By taking this action now we will be able to reduce the amount of water we take from already stressed local water sources.”
The drying of the ground has caused movement in the earth, which has led to an increase of 50% in bursts in the company’s water mains network.
South East said it will increase available resources to tackle leaks and expand its leakage teams by 20% to address the problem. Hinton said prior to the heatwave, South East had driven leakage down to “an all-time low” across its region and met Ofwat’s target for the past 13 years.
This is the second hosepipe ban to be imposed over the last week after Southern Water announced customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight would be subject to restrictions to protect chalk streams in the area.
The Environment Agency recently convened the National Drought Group as the country was declared to be in a period of prolonged dry weather, at which point water companies are required to increase water efficiency messaging.
CCW, the consumer watchdog, called on South East to promote water saving freebies and continue to share advice on reducing consumption to help those people who CCW’s research highlighted as being unsure of how to conserve water in their homes.
Karen Gibbs, senior policy manager, added: “We’d urge anyone who feels they may need extra support during the restrictions to ensure they are registered for the company’s priority services.”
During July, the south east of England only received 8% of the typical rainfall for the month.
Water efficiency is an essential topic for the whole sector. Hear more about it at Utility Week Forum this 8-9 November. Read the agenda here