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UK households told to only half-fill paddling pools this week

Four regions battered by constant rainfall and flash flooding at the turn of 2026 are now being told be conservative with water during the hot weather

[It's perfect weather to bust out the paddling pool and social media is packed with hacks to make it as simple as possible. But do they work?]

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Fat cat water bosses are telling families to use less water in the worst-ever May heat(Image: Oscar Wong via Getty Images)

A water company has come under fire for telling Britons in the middle of a record-breaking heatwave to use less water - even though reservoirs are full to 90 per cent capacity.

South West Water has told parents to be conservative when filling up kiddie paddling pools as the mercury continues to rise this summer.

The water firm covers Dorset and Somerset to Devon and Cornwall - four regions that were battered by months of heavy rainfall earlier this year. Cornwall recorded its wettest winter since 1836, while parts of Somerset became so waterlogged that a major incident was declared due to severe flooding.

But, as Britain swelters in a record-breaking 35C May heatwave, parents have been advised to take a half-full approach to splashy relief for their kids in the heat.

[South West Water have been told to get in the bin]

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South West Water have been told to get in the bin(Image: Getty Images)

As temperatures hit a record high, Cornwall local Liz Northcott, 74, told the Sun: My great-grandchildren are in the paddling pool, and there will be no half measures.

They dont have a shortage, so why tell us to use less water?

Water bosses were recently slapped with a 24 million fine in March over a series of vile sewage spills, raising questions as to why fat cat bosses are asking Britons to ease off during a worst-in-recorded-history UK heatwave when leaky pipes and contaminated water supplies seem far less urgent.

South West Water has defended its advice, saying that it encourages customers to "use water wisely" all year round, regardless of the weather. Sudden spikes in hot weather puts the entire network under strain, industry bosses have claimed, even if reservoir containment levels are healthy.

[Children having fun playing in the paddling pool]

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Paddling pools are a great way to keep kids entertained during the warm weather(Image: Getty Images)

The strain on the UK's water infrastructure has, to be fair, already caused chaos elsewhere. In the south-east, in Kent and Sussex, residents faced low pressure and total outages in recent days as demand surged by nearly 100 million litres above normal.

South East Water said on Tuesday: "Yesterday (Monday, May 25), 670 million litres of drinking water was used across our supply area, which is almost 100 million litres more than the average for this time of the year.

"As expected, demand for drinking water has surged as a result and this has led to our storage reservoirs running low in several parts of Kent. "Our fleet of tankers has been working 24/7 putting additional water into the network in areas where demand has been extremely high over recent days.

[Swimmers at the Strand Lido in Gillingham]

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Swimmers at the Strand Lido in Gillingham, on Saturday(Image: Getty Images)

"However, due to the nature of water supply networks, some customers on higher ground or at the far end of the network may have low pressure or supply interruptions, especially at peak use times. As these outages are a result of increased demand following the hot weather, supplies will continue to be intermittent for some customers until temperatures decrease and demand reduces."

As a result, some families are flocking to Britain's 'beaches' and parks to cool off during the half-term break. High street shops have seen sales of fans, ice, and sunscreen have also gone through the roof as households desperately try to cool down and keep sun safe.

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