Ardingly Reservoir at 20.2% as South East water supplies come under pressure

Hundreds of thousands of residents across the South East face the prospect of losing their water supply this winter following the driest spring and summer in recent times. Ardingly Reservoir, which supplies 280,000 people in Haywards Heath, West Sussex, and surrounding areas in East Sussex, has fallen to just 20.2 per cent capacity. The chief executive of South East Water has warned that supplies are under "severe pressure" and standpipes – emergency water supply points – may appear on British streets for the first time in 50 years, with a months-long hosepipe ban now extended into the new year.

The situation has been exacerbated by the failure to reduce water demand as hoped: consumption has fallen by only 5 per cent rather than the targeted 10 per cent. Additionally, the exceptionally dry conditions have caused ground to shrink underground, leading to a surge in burst pipes that has further undermined public confidence. Across the country, reservoir storage stands at 54 per cent – roughly a fifth below average – with forecasters warning that 20 per cent more rainfall than average will be needed until the end of April for all parts of England to emerge from drought conditions.