Sprinkler ban almost inevitable
The first sprinkler ban of the year is only days away after the third driest winter on record.
About 650,000 people in south London, north Kent and north Surrey have been warned that restrictions are " almost inevitable".
Only a week-long downpour could now prevent the ban being imposed, said Mike Hegarty, operations director at Sutton and East Surrey Water.
With no sign of a prolonged period of heavy rain, water companies across the South-East are growing alarmed.
Rainfall has been below normal since early November with only 49 per cent of the average total in the Thames Water region.
Martin Townsend, strategic planning manager for the Environment-Agency's Thames region, said: "We simply need more of the wet stuff to fall from the sky. We have now had four months of below average rainfall and need a wet spring to get underground water levels back up."
Easter normally sees the first big surge of demand, particularly in a dry year, as gardeners start watering their lawns and flower beds. Sutton and East Surrey Water, which last had a ban in 1997, has asked
gardeners to buy "drought tolerant" plants.
Thames Water, by far the biggest supplier in the region, has not imposed a ban since 1990, but now fears that it will be forced to act.
Underground water levels are only about 50 per cent of normal, although reservoirs are still close to full. Water companies will soon be stopped from taking supplies from some rivers to prevent harming wildlife.
