From today, August 12, some Dartford residents will be under a hosepipe ban amid extreme temperatures and growing concerns of potential droughts. 

The ban placed by South East Water will restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers in the areas of the region under the water provider, starting today until further notice. 

It will mean that affected Dartford residents will not be allowed to water gardens or clean cars and ornamental ponds and swimming pools must not be filled too. 

The news comes following the lack of rain across the South East, with parts of England having their driest July in records seeing water supply levels struggle to keep up with the demand.

With last month's rainfall averaging at 5mm for the South East whilst England as a whole saw an average of 23.1 mm, marking it the lowest figure for a month since 1935. 

The news was shared to residents early this week by water provider, South East Water who in a statement said: "This has been a time of extreme weather conditions across the UK.

“Official figures show this is the driest July on record since 1935 and the period between November 2021 and July 2022 has been the driest eight-month stint since 1976.

“During July in the South East, we have only seen 8% of average rainfall for the month, and the long-term forecast for August and September is for similar weather."

Adding: "We have been left with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers from 0001 on Friday, August 12 within our Kent and Sussex supply area until further notice.

“We are taking this step to ensure we have enough water for both essential use and to protect the environment. This will enable us to also reduce the amount of water we need to take from already stressed local water sources.”