Reservoir falls below 17% as drought persists

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Danny Pike,BBC Radio Sussex,

Dominic King,BBC Radio Kentand

Tanya Gupta,South East

News image — Ardingly Reservoir has fallen below 17% capacity, according to South East Water

Reuters A view across Ardingly Reservoir shows low water levels, with large areas of exposed pale shoreline surrounding the remaining water. A concrete intake tower and bridge structure stand near the centre, while trees, fields and wooded hillsides surround the reservoir under clear skies. — Ardingly Reservoir has fallen below 17% capacity, according to South East Water

A reservoir in the south of England has fallen below 17% capacity after one of the hottest summers on record, South East Water has said.

The company, which supplies Kent, Sussex and Hampshire, said the region remained in the midst of a drought and needed winter rainfall to replenish both reservoir and groundwater supplies.

South East Water operations director Douglas Whitfield said Ardingly Reservoir in West Sussex had fallen below 17% and the company was monitoring levels daily to protect as much water as possible.

He said a wet winter had been forecast but timings were not clear and the company was making any adjustments it could to protect supplies until the expected rainfall.

Resources across the whole of the south of England were under stress, he said.

Steps already taken include updated hosepipe restrictions brought in on 9 October and a drought permit granted by the Environment Agency, which allowed South East Water to keep more water in Ardingly Reservoir.

Whitfield said 92 repair crews were out across Kent and Sussex tackling leaks, to minimise loss from the network.

Following reports that Ardingly could dry up within weeks, Whitfield said that standpipes remained part of the company's drought plan but were unlikely to be needed.

"We may end up with it, but it is unlikely," he said, "because it will need to remain very dry over the autumn and winter."

Reuters An aerial view of Ardingly Reservoir shows a reduced water level surrounded by broad areas of exposed sandy and muddy shoreline. Several small sailing boats are on the water, with dinghies drawn up on the shore. Trees, open countryside, a sailing club area and access roads can be seen around the reservoir. — A drone image taken in August showed exposed banks around Ardingly Reservoir

South East Water remains under scrutiny after a series of supply failures, including loss of supply to about 24,000 homes and businesses in the Tunbridge Wells area last winter.

The firm is subject to oversight from independent monitors appointed by Ofwat to monitor progress on its turnaround plans.

Press Association Large packs of bottled water are stacked beside a temporary distribution point. Two people in high-visibility orange vests stand beside the supplies, while vehicles queue nearby. Traffic cones, signs and service vehicles are visible in the background. — Thousands of customers were affected by outages in the Tunbridge Wells area

Tunbridge Wells Liberal Democrat MP Mike Martin said he believed the risk of further supply problems in the area had reduced.

He said work was still needed to address what he described as 20 years of underinvestment and to improve the Pembury water treatment plant, which serves the area.

Jonathan Hawker, from campaign group Dry Wells Action Group, welcomed what he described as a more open approach from the company but said concerns remained.

"It's encouraging that South East Water is treating the community it serves as grown-ups at last," he said.

"What's concerning, of course, is that the underlying situation hasn't changed enough to give us a categorical reassurance that there will be no further outage.

"We as a group believe that the community does need to get ready, because this is a risk for this coming winter."

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