More hosepipe bans are being introduced across Sussex to combat the worst drought in Sussex for 100 years.

Yesterday Southern Water and South East Water announced hosepipe and sprinkler bans across West Sussex and parts of East Sussex.

The restrictions will start on Monday, July 11, and affect more than 250,000 people.

Southern Water already has a ban in place in Crawley, Horsham and Chichester and has extended restrictions to the Sussex coastal area from Littlehampton to Saltdean, taking in Worthing and Brighton and Hove.

All Southern Water customers in Sussex are now affected.

The South East Water ban area runs from West Sussex through Horsham, Haywards Heath and Burgess Hill and into Forest Row in East Sussex.

Steve Salter, acting operations director for Southern Water, said: "Although regrettable, these precautionary measures are being brought in to ensure we can continue to supply all our customers with water for drinking and household use."

South East Water has joined Southern Water after being asked by the Environment Agency to introduce restrictions.

As part of a contractual agreement, the company takes some of its supplies from Weir Wood Reservoir, near East Grinstead, which is owned by Southern Water.

Weir Wood is currently only 45 per cent full, relies entirely on rainfall and cannot be refilled by pumping in extra water from rivers.

David Shore, director of operations at South East Water, said: "We are very conscious of the impact this decision will have on our customers, and would like to assure them it has only been taken after lengthy and robust discussions with the Environment Agency.

"Despite having eight consecutive months of below-average rainfall and repeated warnings to customers to use water wisely, demand for water has continued to rise, particularly during the recent hot weather."

The problem started after an exceptionally low amount of winter rainfall - needed to fill reservoirs, rivers and underground sources ready for use in the summer.

From November to March, the South received little more than half the normal amount of winter rainfall.

The new ban has been extended from one introduced at the beginning of the summer by Southern Water.

Water companies say the problem has been exacerbated because people are not doing enough to reduce their water consumption.

A garden sprinkler alone uses more than 1,000 litres of water an hour, which is enough to supply six people for a whole day.

If the problem continues, the companies can have resource to a range of more draconian measures.

They could apply to the Government for a drought order which would enable them to impose a ban on non-essential use of water by commercial companies.

As a last resort, they could introduce a water rota so homes are supplied with water only at certain times of the day.

A spokeswoman for South East Water said such rota cuts had not been introduced since a severe drought in 1976.

For tips on saving water and a full list of the areas affected by restrictions, log on to www.southernwater.co.uk and click on "water efficiency" or go to www.southeastwater.co.uk