Heatwave: Surging water usage prompts South East Water plea for customers to 'use it responsibly'
A major water company is appealing for its customers to use water responsibly as temperatures rise.
South East Water, which supplies parts of the region, says it has seen a 'dramatic rise' in household water usage during spells of hot weather.
It says its customers are drawing record amounts of water at the same time, putting extra pressure on the network as a heatwave warning looms.
The company has already noticed drops in water pressure due to demand, and says it is treating water as fast as it can.
Customers are being urged to take steps to conserve water, such as ditching the garden hose and taking shorter showers.
Supplies of water in the south east are currently listed as 'good', with plenty available in reservoirs and groundwater stores.
So far the supplier is producing an extra 120million litres of water every day - but demand is on occasion outstripping supply.
How South East Water says its customers can save water:
Let nature water your grass- Allow lawns to go brown - it will soon go green again when it rains
Save paddling pool water- Top-up and reuse paddling pool water for your plants and grass
Put down the garden hose - Use watering cans for lawns, plants and flower beds, instead of garden hoses
Running taps are wasteful- Don't let taps run when brushing your teeth - turn them off
Take shorter showers- Knocking a minute or two off to take shorter four minute showers
Fill your dishwasher before you use it- Don't use your dishwasher until it is full and save water and energy
Wash your car less frequently - it's a small change that will make a big difference for everyone.
Lee Dance, Head of Water Resources at South East Water said: "We have been producing an extra 120 million litres of drinking water every day - the equivalent of 20 million flushes of the toilet - for our 2.3 million customers to use but if everyone uses a lot of water at once, demand can outweigh the amount of water we are able to treat.
"So we would like to ask everyone to think about how they are using their tap water while they are making the most of this lovely weather. If we're all able to make some small changes, it will make a big difference.
"For example, to keep hydrated why not fill up a jug and pop it into the fridge so refreshing cold water is always available without wasting a drop by running the tap until cold.
"In the garden giant paddling pools are increasingly becoming popular, but a standard pool can use up to 400 litres of water - that's enough to fill four full water butts. When it comes to emptying it rather than letting it go down the drain, think about reusing the water on the garden to give plants a good drink along with refilling empty water butts to use the next day.
"By not using sprinklers or hosepipes, this will also make a massive difference to how much water is being used.
"In the home only use washing machines and dishwashers when full.
"Although we're used to managing high demand and have tried and tested plans in place, we are grateful to customers who play their part by using water wisely, so that we can continue to keep water flowing to everyone."
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