Will the Sussex hosepipe ban be lifted now we’ve had rain?

South East Water said it had ‘no choice’ but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers by its customers from August 12 onwards. The temporary restrictions mean customers cannot use hosepipes for watering their gardens, washing cars, patios and boats and from filling swimming/paddling pools. This was due to a summer of low rainfall and high temperatures. July saw the lowest rainfall in Sussex since 1911.

South East Water chief executive David Hinton said at the time: “This has been a time of extreme weather conditions across England with us experiencing the driest start to the year since 1976. During July in the south east, we have only seen eight per cent of average rainfall for the month. As the long-term forecast for August and September is for similar weather we are taking this step to introduce temporary restrictions on the use of hosepipes and sprinklers to make sure we have enough water for our customers’ essential use, ensure we can serve our vulnerable customers and to protect the local environment.

“With the lack of rainfall, the environment is also under considerable pressure with our underground water aquifers below average for the time of year across Kent and Sussex and raw water reservoirs also at a lower level for the time of year. By taking this action now we will be able to reduce the amount of water we take from already stressed local water sources.”

However, residents across Sussex are now questioning when the ban will be lifted as the county has seen much more rain over the last 10 days with night after night of thundery showers last week (September 5-9).

Sussex World put this subject to South East Water. Steve Andrews, head of central operations, said: “Temporary restrictions on water use in the area will continue until we are confident that the demand for water has reduced back to manageable levels. We will keep the position under constant review. This really is just a short temporary measure to help us in these very unusual circumstances.”

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