South East Water's Temporary Use Ban now covers its whole supply area under two separate legal notices.
Kent has been in force since 00:01 on Friday 3 July 2026. Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire come into force at 00:01 on Saturday 25 July 2026, and the company has urged customers there to follow the restrictions straight away.
The reasons differ by region. In Sussex, abstraction from the River Cuckmere has been paused and Arlington Reservoir has reached its Drought Plan trigger after 55 per cent of average rainfall since March. For Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire these are the first restrictions since 2012.