South East Water urges water conservation as heatwave strains UK supply

South East Water warned residents in southeast England to limit water use to essential purposes such as hygiene, drinking and cooking as a heatwave drives demand well above normal levels. On 21 June the company treated and supplied 644 million litres of water, 56 million litres more than the June average, and expects further increases with hotter weather forecast.

The utility has kept all water‑treatment works operating 24 hours a day, increased leak‑repair crews, rerouted water through the network, added tankered supplies, filled storage tanks and managed system pressure. Despite these actions, some customers at the far ends of the network or on higher ground have experienced dry taps.

South East Water asked the public to pause hose use, avoid refilling pools or hot tubs, and refrain from using jet washers, while encouraging simple swaps such as using water pistols for play. The company apologized for recent supply interruptions affecting thousands of customers and pledged to build greater network resilience to cope with a changing climate and more frequent heatwaves.