Parts of England are facing a hosepipe ban as another heatwave and very dry conditions are predicted for the south-east.
From Friday, Southern Water is implementing the ban for customers in Hampshire and on the Isle of Wight, while the measure will follow in exactly a week for South East Water customers in Kent and Sussex.
Rivers are at exceptionally low levels, reservoirs are depleted and soils dried out after months of little rainfall, combined with record-breaking temperatures in July.
All of this has put pressure on the environment, farming and water supplies, and is fuelling wildfires.
The Met Office has warned there is “very little meaningful rain” coming for parched areas of England as temperatures are set to climb into the 30ºCs next week.
While it could mean another heatwave, when there are above-average temperatures for three days or more, it is likely that conditions will stay well below the 40ºC in some places last month.
The situation has prompted calls for action to reduce water use to protect the environment and supplies, and restore the country’s lost wetlands “on an enormous scale” to tackle a future of more dry summers and droughts.
Heatwave in the UK – in pictures
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People basking in the sun on a crowded Brighton beach. The temperature in Britain smashed through the 40ºC barrier for the first time in recorded history. PA -
A man dives into the Serpentine Lake to cool off in Hyde Park, west London. AFP -
Firefighters rest as they attend a gorse bush fire, near Zennor, Cornwall. Reuters -
A tourist wears a hat to shield herself from the sun on Westminster Bridge in central London. AP -
A man cools off at Trafalgar Square, central London. Reuters -
Firefighters respond to a large wildfire in woodland at Lickey Hills Country Park on the edge of Birmingham. PA -
A railway worker hands out bottles of water to passengers at London's King's Cross, where there are train cancellations due to the heat. AP -
Firefighters control a grass fire in Ravenswood, Suffolk. PA -
Train tracks are painted white to help with the heat at Alexandra Palace train station in London. PA -
Deer rest in the shade at London's Richmond Park. Reuters -
An empty freezer section at Sainsbury's Nine Elms in London. PA -
Chippy the chimpanzee enjoys an ice treat at Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park, near Stirling. AP -
A student dips her head into the fountain at Trafalgar Square, London. Getty Images -
People turn out to watch the sunrise on Tuesday morning at Cullercoats Bay, North Tyneside. PA -
A digital thermometer displaying a temperature of 39°C on a London Underground train. PA -
A fan finds a way to keep cool while watching the Women's Euro 2022 football match between Italy and Belgium at Manchester City Academy Stadium. AP -
An aerial view shows swimmers at Hathersage Swimming Pool, west of Sheffield in northern England. AFP -
Traffic crosses a bridge at Woodhead Resevoir in West Yorkshire as water levels dip dangerously low. AP -
A man leaps from the top of a tree into the River Cam, in Cambridge. Getty Images -
A packed Gyllyngvase beach in Falmouth. Getty Images -
A police officer gives water to a sentry in heavy ceremonial uniform, outside Buckingham Palace in central London. AP -
A man cools off in a fountain in London. Reuters -
A man sunbathes at the harbour in Mousehole, Cornwall. AP -
People swim in the River Wye. Reuters -
Passengers feel the heat on the London Underground. The operator advised its customers not to use the metro during the worst of the heatwave. AP -
Palm House supervisor Will Spolestra waters the plants at the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, west London, where temperatures inside the greenhouses are cooler than outside during the heatwave. PA -
Dry grass at Greenwich Park, south-east London. AP -
A swimmer takes an early morning dip in the cool water of Jesus Green Lido in Cambridge, eastern England. Getty Images -
Assistant horticulturalist Katie Martyr checks the temperature at the Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Forecasts are for record temperatures exceeding 40°C. Getty Images -
Bathers keep cool in a tidal pool at Perranporth Beach in Cornwall, south-west England. Reuters -
Message boards at London's Victoria Station warn passengers of potential disruption to train services due to the extreme heat. AFP -
Zorro the police horse drinks water from a bucket to cool down during hot weather, on Whitehall in London. Reuters -
People use a map to shelter from the sun outside Buckingham Palace in London. Reuters -
A cyclist rides through Richmond Park in south-west London at sunrise on Monday. Reuters -
The reduced water level at Weir Wood reservoir, near Crawley, south-east England. The UK's Met Office has issued its first 'red warning' for exceptional heat. AFP -
A crowded beach at Joss Bay in Broadstairs, south-east England. Reuters -
Swimmers take the plunge to escape the heat in east London. Reuters -
Sunbathers on the parched grass in Greenwich Park, south-east London. AP -
A sign advises people not to travel on the London Underground during the heatwave. EPA
Southern Water said it was asking customers “to limit your use to reduce the risk of further restrictions and disruption to water supplies, but more importantly to protect our local rivers”.
South East Water said it had been “left with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers” from midnight on August 12 in Kent and Sussex “until further notice”.
It said it was trying to “ensure we have enough water for both essential use and to protect the environment”, and to enable a reduction in the amount of water “we need to take from already stressed local water sources”.
Other water companies have so far held off bringing in restrictions despite low water levels, although some say they may need to implement bans if the dry weather continues.
Householders who have not yet been hit by restrictions are being urged to avoid using hosepipes for watering the garden or cleaning the car.
Thames Water’s desalination plant, at Beckton, East London, is out of service.
It was built to deliver up to 100 million litres of water a day in long periods of dry weather.
Fires break out in UK during heatwave - in pictures
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A residential area after a large fire in Wennington, Greater London. Several fires broke out across England as the UK experienced a record-breaking heatwave. Getty Images -
Residents look at buildings destroyed by fire in Wennington. Getty -
Firefighters tackle a grass fire during the heatwave in Mow Cop, Staffordshire. Reuters -
Firefighters in Maltby, after a fire started on scrubland before spreading to outbuildings, fences and homes in South Yorkshire. PA -
The scene after a fire at Dartford Marshes. PA -
Burnt woodland is seen as smoke rises from the trees following a fire in Blidworth. Getty Images -
A car drives towards a fire in East London. Reuters -
Burnt woodland in Dartford Heath, England, after a fire on Tuesday. Getty -
Smoke columns rise from Dartford, Kent, where a fire erupted earlier in the day. AFP -
Smoke rises from Wennington neighbourhood fires in England on Tuesday. Getty -
Emergency services tackle a fire on Dartford Heath. Grass fires broke out around the country during an intense heatwave. Getty -
People look on as a fire burns in East London. Reuters -
A firefighter attends a gorse bush fire during a heatwave near Zennor, Cornwall. Reuters -
Smoke pours from a blaze in the village of Wennington, east London. PA -
Firefighters hose down a grass fire in Ravenswood in Suffolk. PA -
Firefighters rest after attending a gorse bush fire near Zennor in Cornwall. Reuters -
A large wildfire in woodland at Lickey Hills Country Park on the edge of Birmingham. AP -
Smoke from the fire near Zennor, Cornwall. Reuters -
Burnt woodland alongside a motorway near Dartford Heath. Getty -
A firefighter has a drink of water after the major blaze on Dartford Heath. Getty
Parts of England have had the driest July in records dating back to 1836, after the driest eight-month period from November 2021 for the country since 1976.
There are indications of a return to more changeable weather conditions from about mid-August, the Met Office said.
Nature campaigners have criticised water companies for leaving it to “the last possible moment” to bring in restrictions, when rivers are in a “desperate” state, and for last-minute announcements that spur an increase in water demand before hosepipe bans come in.
Fires tear through London destroying houses on hottest day - video
"Every year we get to this perilous position and at the last possible moment, when the rivers are at their lowest, we get discussion of temporary use bans," said Mark Lloyd, chief executive of The Rivers Trust.
“Announcing it at the last minute causes people to rush to wash their cars and fill their paddling pools, wash the dog, and causes an increase in demand before the ban comes in.
“This should happen before the rivers come to a desperate condition and there’s not enough water for wildlife.”
The Rivers Trust is calling for accelerated metering, rapid reduction in leak waste, support for households to reduce water use, such as installing low flow toilets and water butts, and sustainable drainage including rain gardens, wetlands and permeable paving to build up local stores of water underground.
