Thousands of households across Kent face an immediate hosepipe ban as South East Water struggles to cope with record-breaking demand during a blistering summer heatwave.
The restriction, announced today, June 25, 2026, comes as a Met Office red warning for extreme heat is hitting the region.
While a wet winter left water reserves in a healthy position, South East Water revealed that its infrastructure cannot treat and pump drinking water fast enough to keep pace with the rate at which residents are drawing from storage tanks. Formal legal enforcement of their ban begins on Friday, July 3, with violators facing fines of up to £1,000.
Neighbouring provider Southern Water, which supplies areas including Thanet, Sittingbourne, Medway, Faversham and parts of South East Kent has confirmed that its network is currently operating normally. Southern Water has not implemented any restrictions for its own customers. Instead, the company is actively exporting extra treated water into South East Water’s network to help stabilize the wider grid and prevent sudden losses of supply for vulnerable residents on shared boundaries.