It is completely unacceptable that South East Water has extended its hosepipe ban into East Sussex, coming into force 25th July 2026.

This comes just months after customers were hit with a 7% increase in their water bills, while many have continued to experience leaks, low water pressure and supply problems.

If water companies had invested properly in their infrastructure over many years, this level of restriction might not have been necessary, or at the very least not so early in the summer.

Residents are being asked to do their bit, but water companies must do theirs too. They need to get a grip on leakage, invest in a more resilient network and deliver the reliable service that customers are paying for.