Do not use water unless essential, customers told

People across Kent and Sussex are being urged not to use water other than when necessary as there is a shortage of supplies.

South East Water (SEW) customers received a text from the company on Tuesday telling them they were at "high risk" of their taps drying up, unless they "continue to help by using less water".

With a hosepipe ban already affecting millions in the south of England, Robert Anthony-Scorse, SEW's Incident Manager blamed the "prolonged spell of hot, dry weather" for "drinking water storage tank levels being lower than we would like".

In a statement on Wednesday, he added that SEW's "absolute priority" is that there is enough water for "everyone's essential daily needs".

Anthony-Scorse said: "With temperatures in Kent today reaching 33 degrees, we're continuing to ask customers to use water for essential purposes only, namely drinking, cooking and hygiene.

"That's in line with the temporary usage ban which is now in place for all of our 2.4 million customers across our supply area.

"Our teams have worked incredibly hard to prepare for this summer, but the sheer scale of the sustained heatwaves and lower levels of rainfall mean water resources are starting to be impacted."

He added that SEW was "incredibly grateful" for everyone's help in helping "safeguard our shared resource and prevent any homes from facing a sudden loss of water".

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