General · 20 July 2026
More than 2 million people face hosepipe ban across four more counties
South East Water says another 2.4 million customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire must follow temporary hosepipe restrictions from Saturday because of low rainfall, hot weather and falling river levels. The company urged people to stop using hosepipes straight away to help protect water supplies. Reservoirs in England are 79% full, around five percentage points below the long-term average for this time of year.
Reported by Sky News · How we write briefs