South East Water expands hosepipe ban to all customers as reservoirs run low
South East Water has expanded its hosepipe ban to all 2.4 million customers, removing vulnerable people's exemptions, as reservoirs fall to critical levels after a record dry summer.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
South East Water has widened its hosepipe ban to cover all its customers as reservoir levels across its region remain critically low. The company said the move is part of efforts to protect water supplies and the environment in Sussex. It also wants the government to impose restrictions on businesses.
About 2.4 million customers are affected. A domestic hosepipe ban has been in place since the summer. Exemptions for vulnerable people were allowed, but those are now being removed. No customer is exempt.
Data from this week shows most reservoirs are less than half full. The Environment Agency said reservoir storage should be around three quarters full at this time of year. Ardingly Reservoir in Sussex is 23 per cent full and Wimbleball Reservoir in Somerset is 21 per cent full. At Ardingly, the water level was described as basically non-existent.
Some areas already have a non-essential use ban. This goes further than a household hosepipe ban because it stops companies and businesses using water for car washing, window cleaning, and filling pools, ponds or fountains. The Environment Agency is also processing drought permit applications quickly. These permits allow water companies to reduce the amount of water they must provide into local rivers, so public water supply is better protected.
The restrictions follow a record dry summer and a dry September, which added to the pressure on water resources. The aim is to stop water supplies running dry. The situation is worrying for people who have been dealing with the consequences of drought for months.
On screen
Stills are sampled automatically at 60-second intervals. Where shown, the still is the nearest available frame from the relevant broadcast segment and is included to show what was on screen during that part of the broadcast. A still may not correspond to the exact second of a quoted phrase.
Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| Reservoir levels were reported at 23 per cent full at Ardingly Reservoir in Sussex and 21 per cent full at Wimbleball Reservoir in Somerset. | |
| South East Water is expanding its hosepipe ban to all customers, removing exemptions for vulnerable customers, and seeking government restrictions on business water use. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
ITV1 led its bulletin with an unrelated terror charge before turning to the drought story, then gave the water ban a prominent live report from Ardingly Reservoir. Its angle centred on the visible impact of low reservoir levels and the removal of exemptions for vulnerable customers. It also set the ban against a record dry summer and a dry September.
- “South East Water is expanding its current hosepipe ban to cover all its customers and wants the government to impose restrictions on businesses, too.”
- “No one is exempt from the hosepipe ban now.”
- “The Environment Agency says that this time of year, the reservoir storage should be around three quarters full, but data from this week shows that most of them are actually less than half full.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.