Severe drought declared in parts of southern England

Key Takeaways

• South East Water's operations director Douglas Whitfield said standpipes remained part of the company's drought plan but were unlikely to be needed
• Whitfield said a wet winter had been forecast but timings were not clear and the firm was making any adjustments it could to protect supplies
• Whitfield said South East Water, which supplies more than two million customers, said 92 repair crews were out across Sussex and Kent tackling leaks
• In an email sent to customers South East Water said it was optimising water pressure across the county and had more than doubled the number of teams
• It said the number of leaks in the affected area had fallen from 181 to 97 and that more than 1,300 leaks had been repaired since 1 April

South East Water's operations director Douglas Whitfield said standpipes remained part of the company's drought plan but were unlikely to be needed.

Whitfield said a wet winter had been forecast but timings were not clear and the firm was making any adjustments it could to protect supplies.

Whitfield said South East Water, which supplies more than two million customers, said 92 repair crews were out across Sussex and Kent tackling leaks to minimise loss from the network.

In an email sent to customers South East Water said it was optimising water pressure across the county and had more than doubled the number of teams tackling leaks in the region, increasing from seven to 16.

It said the number of leaks in the affected area had fallen from 181 to 97 and that more than 1,300 leaks had been repaired since 1 April.

Wessex Water, which supplies customers from Wimbleball, introduced its first hosepipe ban in 50 years in August and said the restrictions would remain in place for the foreseeable future.

The water company said it had increased leak repairs, moved water into the area from more resilient sources and adjusted water pressure in some communities to conserve supplies and urged customers to continue using water carefully.

Will Willoughby, director of water supply at Wessex Water, said: "We saw record levels of demand through the network - and it sustained above the 400 million litres a day for 48 days, which is far and away the toughest year that we've seen in terms of that height in demand."

He said customer impact "should be none" but encouraged customers to continue to be mindful about water usage.

Paul Tompkins, deputy president of The National Farmers' Union (NFU) said it had been a "torrid year for farmers", where the conditions proved "very difficult" to harvest crops, provide water for livestock, and a "potential dry winter could have implications for next year's crops".

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is Severe drought declared in parts of southern England?

Reservoir levels continue to drop after a hot summer and less September rain than normal.