Twenty three million people will be banned from using hosepipes by this weekend, as England and Wales moves closer to drought status.

On Tuesday Thames Water became the latest water company to announce a hosepipe ban, covering the more than 10 million customers it supplies water to across London and the Thames valley.

It came after South East Water on Monday extended its ban – already covering Kent – to cover 2.4 million customers in Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire. Five other water companies have already imposed bans.

Months of dry, hot weather, including an unprecedented three heatwaves and the driest spring on record for England and Wales, have left water supplies severely depleted, particularly in the south and south-east.

Despite an exceptionally wet winter, drought now seems inevitable. On Tuesday the National Drought Group (NDG), an official body that brings government together with water companies, weather forecasters, farmers and conservationists, said eight areas in England were in “prolonged dry weather” – the stage before drought.

Thames Water said its region had just 40% of the usual rainfall during spring, while demand for water was 10% higher than normal in the Thames valley and home counties, and 7% higher in London.

The 100m litre-a-day (22m gallons-a-day) increase in demand was equivalent to adding the entire city of Manchester to the network, the company said. “We would not be taking this step unless it was necessary to protect water supplies for everyone and the environment,” said Nevil Muncaster, its director of strategic resources.

Thames Water’s ban officially begins on Thursday, but the company is asking customers to cut their use straight away. South East Water also asked customers to observe restrictions, although the extension to its ban does not come into force until Saturday. Customers of Affinity Water, Anglian Water, Cambridge Water, Southern Water and South West Water are already banned from using hoses.

Only 13% of rivers were classed as at normal levels for the time of the year, while national reservoir storage was at 78.8%, about 5% lower than the long-term average.

A combine harvester cuts through a wheat field at Plastow Green, Hampshire. Crops have ripened early, said Paul Tompkins of the National Farmers’ Union. Photograph: David Hartley/Shutterstock

Earlier this month a report found the UK’s climate extremes are becoming increasingly normal, as temperatures are pushed higher by carbon pollution in the atmosphere.

The extreme weather was not just affecting water companies, NDG members said, but also having a severe impact on the environment and food production.

“Farmers and growers across the country are working around the clock to harvest crops which have come early, keep fruit and vegetables watered, and care for their livestock,” said Paul Tompkins, the deputy president of the National Farmers’ Union. “For many arable farmers, this could be another difficult and expensive harvest after extreme weather impacts in both 2024 and 2025 which saw both drought and flood.”

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Meanwhile, 53 wildfires have hit across the country, including on prime agricultural land and delicate protected sites.

“Our soils and vegetation have lost so much moisture in this heat that any natural resistance to a fire has significantly reduced,” said Rob Gazzard, who advises the Forestry Commission on wildfires. “Not only does it make vegetation more likely to burn, but it increases the intensity of fires once they start. This means fires take hold and spread quickly and are difficult to suppress.”

Temperatures have cooled in recent days from the record-breaking spell of hot weather the country endured over several weeks at the start of summer. But no little respite from the dry weather is expected.

“Much of England has experienced a notably warm and dry first half of summer, with July particularly dry and some locations recording little or no rainfall so far this month,” said Will Lang, the chief meteorologist at the Met Office.

“There are some signs of more changeable weather at times into early August, which may bring rain to some areas. However, confidence in the detail remains low, and any rainfall, particularly across southern parts of the UK, is unlikely to be widespread or substantial.”