Water firm South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban in Kent and Sussex. The ban comes following weeks of warm weather, with England experiencing the warmest June on record last month.

The heat and a lack of rainfall have left many water companies seeing reservoirs running dry, with Yorkshire Water introducing a similar ban earlier this week. The company cites record levels of demand for drinking water across the two counties since May as a key factor behind the decision. In a statement they said: "With the ongoing warm and dry weather, we’re all using far more water than usual."

It added: "This situation has left us with no choice but to restrict the use of hosepipes and sprinklers, so we can help our reservoirs and underground water storage recover."

The company warns that it is taking the measures now due to a “really high risk” of customers experiencing widespread issues such as low pressure or no water.

South East Water says it is also monitoring the situation in parts of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, where it operates.

The ban comes as the Met Office warns that heatwave conditions are likely to be experienced in parts of the UK by the end of the week.

Temperatures will climb into the low 30s, although they are not expected to be quite as high as experienced at the end of June/early July.

Met Office Chief Meteorologist, Jason Kelly, said: “High pressure from the Atlantic will lead to a build in temperatures over the coming days, with heatwave criteria reached by the weekend.

“Whilst temperatures are expected to build day on day, becoming widely hot, they are unlikely to surpass those recorded at the start of the month.

“This heatwave is expected to be longer lived and extend further north and west into a larger part of the UK than previously seen this summer.”

A hosepipe ban restricts households from conducting tasks which are deemed to be water intensive such as using a hosepipe to wash a car or fill a paddling pool.

People can still wash their car and water their gardens without using a hosepipe if they use tap water from a bucket or watering can or use water that is not sourced from taps such as grey water, rainwater from a water butt, or a private borehole.

Those who flout the ban could be liable for fines of up to £1,000.