4-MINUTE WARNING
UK weather – Brits told to shower in just FOUR MINUTES as Met Office warns of driest June on record and families urged to stop using hosepipes
BRITS have been warned to cut down their showers to just four minutes as the country faces what could be the driest June in more than 90 years.
The water restrictions come as the mercury is expected to soar to 32C today after a record-breaking week of scorching temperatures.
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With no rain on the horizon, the South East is set for its driest June since records began.
The last time the area received so little rain was in 1925, recording just 3.4mm.
As the sun burned down again on the region this morning, water supplier Southern warned: "With temperatures rising and a heatwave sweeping across the UK, we are hitting peak demand for water.
"Water is a precious resource and it's important that we all do what we can to reduce wastage, come rain or shine.
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"This can include simple measures such as turning off taps when you're brushing your teeth, swapping a bath for a four-minute shower and watering your garden with harvested rain.
"This can make a huge difference to water supply levels across the region."
The South East has only seen 7 per cent of its average rainfall for this year.
A Met Office spokesperson said: "If the region sees no more rain for the rest of June it will be the driest on record, but this is 'touch and go' in view of the potential for scattered thundery showers to develop at the end of this month.
Summer heatwave 2018: Brits are cooling off in record breaking temperatures at Brighton beach
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Other areas like the South West have also been left gasping for water, recording 12.5mm of rain - just 17 per cent of its average rain fall for June.
So far this month, Kent has had only eight per cent of its long-term average rainfall, with Sussex receiving just four per cent.
For the UK overall, an average of 35.4mm has been recorded - sparking fears of a drought as reservoirs dry up in the heat.
The Met Office today confirmed Thursday was the hottest day of the year, with 32.6C recorded in Porthmadog in Wales.
If that happens, hosepipe bans in gardens and for washing cars would be on the cards.
Other drastic measures could follow suit, with Anglian Water previously distributing 25,000 waterproof egg timers to encourage people to have a shower instead of running a bath in 2012.
The average person in the UK uses a huge amount of water, around 150 litres of water a day compared to just 127 litres per person in Germany.
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But water suppliers have raised concerns that water usage can increase by more than 50 per cent during a hot spell.
A spokesperson for South East Water said: "That can not only mean a slightly higher bill for customers, it puts pressure on our water network and the reserves of the natural resource we all rely on as more water is put into the system to meet demand."
Brits have found other ways to keep cool this week, flooding to beaches and parks in their droves this week to make the most of the summer sun.
But not everyone has been successful in sharing the water saving message.
Severn Trent was forced to apologise after sending a bizarre text message to households, urging them to save water - but not telling them how.
Instead, the messages stopped halfway through,
The end of the text read: "We??re therefore asking everyone to be neighbourly to prevent this particularly at peak times by."
The water company later apologised, saying it had been a formatting error.
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Severn Trent said there was plenty of water in reservoirs, and it had put an extra 300 million litres of water into its pipes on Wednesday, but the network could only carry "so much water".
Doug Clarke, Severn Trent's water efficiency expert, said: "We need people to think about how they're using water - using a sprinkler might green up your lawn but that water would be better used for drinking or washing."
He added: This is all about being neighbourly. "Just think about whether you're making the absolute best of the drinking water we're producing for you and your neighbours."
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Dr Simon Earl, Operations Director at South East Water, said "There's very simple things we can do during a hot period to limit the amount of extra water we use and make sure none is wasted.
"We don't know how long the hot weather will last, so we all want to enjoy it while we can. We all just need to be aware of how and when we use our water - our greatest natural resource.
"Of course, it's essential to keep hydrated, so fill a covered jug and pop it in the fridge ready to make cool drinks. This means you don't have to run the tap until it's cold enough for a single serving.
"Children love a paddling pool in the garden, but keep it covered when not in use to reduce evaporation and keep it free from bugs and leaves, so it needs changing and topping up less often.
"When you're done, encourage the kids to help with garden watering by filling the watering can with the leftover water - don't throw it over the lawn, it won't need the drenching and other plants will prefer benefit.
"Gardeners are already very good at keeping their veg patches and flower beds moist by using rainwater stored in water butts, but in hot weather it is tempting to use a hosepipe or sprinkler.
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"A sprinkler can use up to 1,000 litres of drinking water in just one hour - that's more than a family of four would use in a whole day.
"While most people can keep their garden blooming with a watering can, if you do need to use a sprinkler, put it on the lowest volume setting, if it has one, and only use it for very short periods early morning and late evening, when you will again lose less to evaporation.
"Don't worry about the lawn going brown - it will soon recover as soon as we get the next round of good rainfall.
"And with Wimbledon due to start soon, that might not be far off!"
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