South East Water warns residents to use water wisely to avoid future restrictions

The main water supplier for Maidenhead has urged residents to cut down on everything but essential use in a bid to avoid future water restrictions.

The South East of England experienced its driest spring this year since 1893 and a third heatwave of the summer is expected to arrive later this week.

South East Water, which supplies drinking water to the majority of Maidenhead, said customers should avoid using hosepipes, jet washers and sprinklers while daily demand for water continues to surge.

A spokesperson for the utility firm said: “We continue to see high demands for water across all regions in the South East.

“Although demand has lowered from the peak of 680 million litres on June 30, it remains high at 579 million litres yesterday (Monday). For the last 23 days in a row, the daily demand across our network has been higher than expected for June and July. 

"We would encourage customers to think about their water use, capture and reuse it wherever they can, and cut down on everything but essential use, which is drinking, washing and cooking.

“This includes putting away the jet wash, hosepipes and sprinklers, the car and patio can wait for a wash and lawns are naturally designed to bounce back.”

Earlier today Thames Water, which also serves Slough and other parts of the Thames Valley, warned it will need to introduce a hosepipe ban unless the situation changes ‘significantly’.

The embattled utility firm said the ongoing dry weather and increasing customer demand is impacting its water supplies across the region.

South East Water said it would prefer to see water usage reduced voluntarily by customers but did not rule out future restrictions if this does not happen.

A statement added: “We continually monitor the situation against our industry and company measures.

“Whilst we would prefer voluntary reduction in water usage by customers, if we are unable to bring demand for water down far enough, then restrictions are an option. However, we understand the disruption and frustration this can cause to our customers.

"Customers can keep up-to-date on what’s happening in their area by looking at our interactive map at: www.southeastwater.co.uk."