Fiona Irving
South East environment correspondent

It’s only been four months since the last hosepipe ban was lifted.

That one was called because of concerns over water supply after a long period of dry weather.

This one is different - we’re not in a drought.

Reservoir levels and groundwater levels are OK.

It’s been called because demand is so high in the hot weather - South East Water is struggling to treat water and put it into the system fast enough.

Because South East Water’s infrastructure can’t keep up with demand, there’s concern that - like the last heatwave in May - without the ban people at the end of pipelines or on higher ground will lose their supply.

The company says it is producing an extra 100 million litres of water a day, and says its treatment works are running at maximum capacity, rerouting the network to where supplies are lowest, and increasing the number of teams out fixing leaks.

South East Water's hosepipe ban covering Kent comes as some of its customers are facing water supply interruptions.

The company says parts of Ashford, Headcorn and Whitstable in Kent have no water or low pressure as of this morning.

Compton in Surrey, alongside Peacehaven and Arlington in East Sussex are also facing water supply disruption.

South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban in Kent.

Here is where this applies to.

Image source, South East Water

Joshua Askew
Journalist, BBC South East

South East Water's chief executive has said he recognises customers' frustrations after the company announced a hosepipe ban in Kent.

“We completely understand why everyone reaches for the hose when the weather gets this hot," says David Hinton.

"It’s natural to want to enjoy our gardens and cool down, and we know how frustrating it is to hear that restrictions are coming into place."

He adds that the company's teams have "worked incredibly hard to prepare for this summer, but the sheer scale of this sustained heatwave means drinking water is being drawn from our storage tanks faster than it can be treated and refilled".

"To safeguard that shared supply and prevent any homes from facing a sudden loss of water, we sadly need to ask our communities to not use their hosepipes immediately.

"We are deeply sorry for the disruption this causes, and we are incredibly grateful to everyone helping us protect Kent's water," Hinton continues.

Joshua Askew
Journalist, BBC South East

South East Water has asked customers to adhere by its hosepipe ban in its Kent supply area.

It details on its website that this covers Sevenoaks, Tunbridge Wells, Snodland, Maidstone, Tenterden, Ashford, Faversham, Canterbury and Herne Bay.

Image source, Getty Images

Under-fire water company South East Water has announced that a hosepipe ban will be brought in for people living in Kent.

Officials say it is asking customers to adhere to the ban "immediately", though it will come into force from 00:01 on 3 July.

The company, which has about 850,000 customers in Kent, says the ban will ensure it can keep all customers in supply over the coming weeks and months.

It said: "Due to high temperatures and record demand for water across Kent, a Temporary Use Ban (hosepipe ban) is now in place for customers in our Kent supply area."

It comes as the red weather warning in parts of England is in place until 23:59 tonight.

South East Water has announced a hosepipe ban will be brought in for people living in Kent.

This is a breaking news story. Stay with us as we bring you the latest updates.