Regulators are demanding an urgent meeting with a water company because of its hosepipe ban on customers.

David Black, CEO of Ofwat, says the resilience of South East Water’s supplies is “well below” what is expected of a water company.

He raised concerns that the ban, which came into force for its customers in Sussex today, was introduced so soon in the year.

In a letter to the board at South East Water he said: “I am concerned that the most recent event occurred in the first spell of hot weather this year, and that you experienced similar supply interruptions due to peak demand in July 2022.

“This suggests that the resilience of supplies is well below what would be expected from an essential service provider and that transformative change is required at South East Water to ensure customers receive the levels of service they deserve.

“These incidents also took place in the context of South East Water being one of the sector’s worst performers with respect to supply interruptions for the last two reporting years.”

Certain people are exempt from the ban, such as people with disabilities, though for most people, breaching the restrictions could be met with a fine of up to £1,000.

Across South East Water’s network, burst pipes from freezing and thawing impacted 286,000 properties in December 2022, while the recent hot weather led to 6,000 properties experiencing interruptions, low pressure or their supply cut off two weeks ago, with some schools forced to close.

READ MORE: South East Water hosepipe ban in Sussex blamed on home workers

The company’s chief executive David Hinton claimed in a letter to customers that people working from home since the pandemic is a key factor behind the ban as it has driven up demand for water by around 20 per cent.

He also blamed low rainfall since April, which he said had left water butts empty, as well as a recent spell of hot weather which he said led to a spike in demand for drinking water.

Meanwhile, Southern Water said it has no plans for a hosepipe ban just yet.