Gardeners were today urged to cut their use of water during the hot weather to preserve

supplies.

Water usage in the Horsham area has quadrupled during the heatwave.

Southern Water is blaming excessive use of hosepipes and garden sprinklers for the huge increase in demand.

Normally, it pumps 34 litres of water per second from its Itchingfield reservoir. In the recent hot weather, this has soared to 133 litres per second.

The company warns customers in Horsham, Faygate, Mannings Heath, Nuthurst, Rusper and Tower Hill face problems if demand for water is not reduced but it has not yet issued a hosepipe ban.

A spokeswoman said: "The Horsham area is particularly green and many people have big gardens.

"Hosepipes and sprinklers can use as much water in an hour as a family of four in two days.

"Demand is normal in the morning. It tends to be during the day, and particularly when people come home from work and turn on hosepipes and sprinklers, that demands soars."

The company insists it has adequate water resources but during peak demand it can be impossible to pump supplies through water mains to taps quickly enough.

In the recent hot weather Southern Water has been supplying more than 83 million litres a day across north Sussex compared with the normal figure of 66 million litres.

The company stresses that using hosepipes during the day is a waste of water. Gardens only benefit when the sun has gone down.

Distribution manager Jon Crooke said: "There is a finite limit to the amount of water than can physically be pumped through our mains at any one time.

"If the peak demand for water continues to rise there will come a point when we can't pump the water quickly enough no matter how much we have in reserve. Therefore, we are urging people to use water wisely.

"We don't want anyone to stop watering their gardens but please do so sensibly and don't waste supplies."

About a dozen homes were left with water shortages due to a burst main in Horsham this morning.

Southern Water said it was being repaired and supplies were expected to return to normal during the day.