Ofwat calls urgent meeting with South East Water over hosepipe ban

South East Water said demand for drinking water in Kent and Sussex hit record levels in June

The boss of the water regulator has written to South East Water calling for an urgent meeting over its hosepipe ban in Kent and Sussex.

Ofwat chief executive David Black said the firm's "resilience of supplies is well below what would be expected".

He also said he was concerned the ban had been brought in during the first hot spell of the year.

South East Water said the measure aims to "protect the water supply" for all its customers in Kent and Sussex.

The company came under-fire after burst pipes affected 286,000 properties in December 2022 and 6,000 properties were affected earlier this month.

• South East Water hosepipe ban: Dos and don'ts

South East Water said it had no choice but to enforce the ban after demand for drinking water in the region hit record levels in June.

From Monday rule-breakers face a fine of up to £1,000 until further notice.

'Worst performers'

The firm, which supplies 2.2m customers across Kent, Sussex and parts of Hampshire and Berkshire, said the ban affects everyone in Kent and Sussex who is supplied by the company, including businesses who may be billed by another firm.

There are a series of exemptions, which can be found on South East Water's website.

In a letter to the company board, Mr Black said South East Water was one of the sector's worst performers and it needed "transformative change" to be able to provide a level of service that customers deserve.

He wrote: "I am concerned that the most recent event occurred in the first spell of hot weather this year, and that you experienced similar supply interruptions due to peak demand in July 2022.

"This suggests that the resilience of supplies is well below what would be expected from an essential service provider and that transformative change is required at South East Water to ensure customers receive the levels of service they deserve.

"These incidents also took place in the context of South East Water being one of the sector's worst performers with respect to supply interruptions for the last two reporting years."

Elsewhere, there is also a ban across Cornwall and in parts of Devon, including the Colliford and Roadford areas, according to South West Water's website.

• Is there a hosepipe ban in my area?

In a letter to customers last week, South East Water CEO David Hinton blamed people working from home for the shortages.

He said demand in commuter towns had swelled by about 20% over a short period of time which had put the existing infrastructure under stress.

Other factors including low rainfall and periods of recent hot weather had also placed a strain on water supplies, Mr Hinton added.

Customers said the real problem was the company's lack of investment, and a petition has been set up calling for a change of ownership at South East Water.

Following Ofwat's letter, Mr Hinton said: "We acknowledge response of the letter from David Black, CEO of Ofwat.

"We are cooperating with the request in the letter and will be meeting shortly to discuss."

Follow BBC South East on Facebook, on Twitter, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [e-mail].