A hosepipe and sprinkler ban affecting more than 1.4 million people has come into force.
South East Water said demand for drinking water had reached “record levels” since May due to extended spells of warm and dry weather.
The temporary ban will affect households in Kent, East Sussex and West Sussex, the firm said.
Under the restrictions, people are prevented from using hosepipes for watering their gardens, washing cars, windows and patios, or filling swimming and paddling pools.
David Hinton, South East Water chief executive officer, said: “Despite asking for customers’ help to use water for essential uses only, regrettably, we’ve now been left with no choice but to introduce this temporary use ban.
“We continue to monitor the long term weather forecast, and will review this decision on a regular basis.”
Anyone flouting the restriction could be fined up to £1,000.
The firm said it saw the highest levels of water usage so far this year on 30 June, reaching 680 million litres – 105 million litres of water a day more than the average for summer.
It said it continued to monitor the situation in its Western region, where it serves customers in parts of Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.
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