Thames Water urged customers 'to only use what they need for their essential use' ahead of a ban being brought in
was issued for parts of England and Wales this morning, with temperatures set to hit 35C in the southeast later this week.
It marks the latest sign that the UK is heading for a drought, as months of extreme heat and little rain has left rivers exceptionally low and reservoirs depleted.Southern Water has already imposed a hosepipe ban for customers in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, marking its first ban in the region for 10 years.
The company has asked people to report their neighbours if they spot them breaching the newly imposed restrictions. It said it would “take the appropriate action” if residents were “ignoring, knowingly or unknowingly, the restrictions in place”. Alastair Chisholm, director of policy at the Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management , said it could increase the likelihood of a drought, which although are part of the British climate could be “particularly extreme” this year.