Sussex Water Crisis Deepens as Reservoirs Remain Low Despite Recent Storms

Reservoirs far below safe levels

Reservoirs across Sussex continue to operate at critically low levels despite substantial rainfall in recent weeks. Ardingly Reservoir, a key source for the region, sits at just 19.1 per cent capacity, while Arlington Reservoir stands at 40.5 per cent. The Environment Agency has officially declared a drought in East Sussex.

The heavy rain brought by recent storms, described by the Environment Agency as England's wettest week in two years, has done little to ease the situation. The Environment Agency has warned that the region would need at least 120 per cent of average rainfall over the next six months to recover fully from drought by next spring.

Housing development concerns

The low water reserves have sparked debate about new housing developments in the area. Joa Saunders, a Green Party councillor for Chailey, Barcombe and Hamsey, warned of potential emergency measures. "If the drought persists we could find ourselves facing emergency measures, potentially standpipes in our streets," she said, adding that water shortages "can become a genuine threat to public health and safety."

Lewes MP James MacCleary has called for water companies to be involved in planning decisions from the start. "People quite reasonably expect that when new homes are built, the infrastructure needed to support them, including reliable water supplies, is planned alongside them," he said.

South East Water stated that it updates its Water Resources Management Plan every five years, with the next plan due in 2029. A spokesman said the company has "a duty to connect new domestic properties to the water supply network as they are built" but confirmed it is not a statutory consultee in the planning process.

Restrictions and contingency plans

Three water companies, Southern Water, South East Water and South West Water, have requested permission to introduce non-essential use bans that could restrict commercial car washes, watering of sports fields and filling of private swimming pools.

South East Water has said measures have been put in place to ensure it does not run dry before the festive period. The government's emergency committee, Cobra, has met up to twice a week to discuss the drought situation in Sussex and the south-west.

The Environment Agency confirmed that public water supplies remain uninterrupted and that a severe drought declaration does not mean supplies are about to run out.

Source: read the full story