The company says it has had to start up the desalination plant

The Jersey New Waterworks Company says the long dry summer has made levels drop lower than in previous years.

It said it has had to start up the desalination plant to try and keep up with demand.

After a warning to islanders to save water was unsuccessful, the company announced a hosepipe pan would take effect from Wednesday night.

The ban could be in place until October.

Dry conditions

It means islanders cannot use hosepipes, sprinklers or pressure washers.

The company's managing director says people largely ignored appeals for them to use less water, and the ban is necessary to make sure there are enough supplies for the next few months.

Howard Snowden says the long range weather forecast shows dry conditions until the autumn, so he cannot say for sure when the ban could be released.

Anyone breaking the ban could be fined up to �2,000

But new figures released from Guernsey show they have no such problems, with reservoirs 92% full.