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A UK water company has put a hosepipe ban in place as temperatures begin to spike, with households across the country advised to limit their use.
South East Water has put an official temporary hosepipe use ban in place, covering much of the Kent region. Other areas served by the company – Surrey, Hampshire, Berkshire and Sussex (both East and West) – have also been advised to pause all use.
A hosepipe ban is different to an advisory notice. Anyone caught breaching an official ban can be issued a fine of up to £1,000.
The total amount of water treated by the South East Water on Sunday was 644 million litres, the company said – 56 million litres higher than the entire June average (588 million litres).
It comes the UK’s highest June temperature was surpassed for the third day in a row as the record-breaking heatwave peaked at 37.3C in Santon Downham, Suffolk on Friday.
The record was previously set on Thursday at 36.7C recorded in Merryfield, Somerset, then 36.1C at Gosport in Hampshire on Wednesday. Prior to that, the hottest June temperature was recorded 50 years ago at 35.6C.
South East Water is currently the only company to issue an official ban. However, Wessex Water has asked its customers to limit their use, writing on social media: “Grass is tougher than it looks. It naturally copes during hot, dry spells and will bounce back quickly when the rain returns.
“With the warmer weather returning, it's an easy way to save water and it can even help reduce weeds too.”
Affinity Water, which serves several areas outside of Greater London, has also asked its customers to “use water wisely this week”.
South East Water's hosepipe ban covers much of the Kent region (South East Water)A red alert is a request for customers to use water for essential reasons only, rather than an enforced hosepipe ban with a fine attached. No official hosepipe bans are yet in place.
Several amber health alerts have been put in place by the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) until Sunday as the heatwave has persisted.
The Met Office issued a rare red weather warning covering areas including London, Swansea, Somerset and Birmingham from 9am on Wednesday. It ended at 9pm on Friday.
An amber weather warning for heat will continue to impact London and the East, South East and East Midlands until 9pm on Saturday.
UK households have been asked to be mindful of their water usage (Getty)Looking ahead to the weekend forecast, Met Office chief forecaster Andy Page said: “The UK is seeing a gradual shift in conditions over the weekend, with those to the southeast of England retaining the warmth the longest, where an Amber Extreme Heat Warning remains in force through much of Saturday, though peaks are more likely to be in the low 30s Celsius.”
All households have been urged to limit their water usage during the heatwave. National Drought Group chair and director of water at the Environment Agency, Helen Wakeham, said: “We enter summer in a generally favourable position, but we can never be complacent ahead of those crucial drier months.
“Heatwaves will continue to be a concern as they can drive spikes in water demand, so we need to continue to work collaboratively to use our finite water wisely.
“While many of us enjoy the hot weather, we ask everyone to be mindful of their water use. Every drop saved leaves more available for farmers, our local rivers and wildlife.”