Real Estate
Home›Real Estate›Industry›South East Water expands hosepipe ban to 2.4 million p…
South East Water expands hosepipe ban to 2.4 million people
The company said Arlington Reservoir has fallen to the level that triggers its drought plan, with the region receiving only 55% of average rainfall since March.
South East Water has expanded a hosepipe ban to cover 2.4 million people across parts of Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire after record hot and dry weather in southern England, the BBC reports. The extension adds about 1.5 million more customers beyond earlier restrictions in parts of Kent.
Under the rules, households in the affected area are banned from using a hosepipe, including for cleaning, filling ponds, or watering plants. SEW said the restrictions would officially start at 00:01 BST on Saturday, but asked customers to follow immediately.
SEW linked the measure to falling reservoir levels, saying Arlington Reservoir in East Sussex has dropped to the point outlined in its drought plan. The utility also said the region has received only 55% of its average rainfall since March, with parts of southern England seeing no significant rainfall for weeks.
The BBC also reports that SEW faces ongoing investment and funding pressures, including an Ofwat order to spend 30.5 million pounds on improvements and a warning in its annual report that it needs fresh financing after taking a 55 million pound hit from winter outages. A local landlord quoted in the story said repeated water shortages had forced his pub to close, costing him between 5,000 and 6,000 in trade on a weekend.