Almost one million more Britons will face water restrictions in a matter of days after another water firm imposed a hosepipe ban.
Southern Water has announced that much of Hampshire and all of the Isle of Wight will face water prohibitions from 9am on Monday.
Some 791,000 people in 336,000 properties in Hampshire, as well as 144,000 people in 75,000 properties on the Isle of Wight, are set to endure the ban.
From 9am, customers will be barred from using hoses for activities such as watering gardens, washing cars or filling paddling pools.
The firm's managing director Tim McMahon has apologised to those affected.
He said: "Only by working together can we make sure there's enough water to go around for customers and the environment."
SOUTHERN WATER/GB NEWS
|The areas highlighted in dark orange will face a hosepipe ban from Monday morning
A statement from Southern Water, meanwhile, reads: "We recognise that customers with medical needs may still need to use a hosepipe.
"Customers on our priority services register with medical or mobility needs, including blue badge holders and those on our WaterSure tariff, are exempt.
"Anything you can do to reduce or avoid hosepipe use would be greatly appreciated."
The Environment Agency has declared an area stretching from the Solent to the South Downs to be in "prolonged dry weather".
HOSEPIPE BANS IMPOSED ACROSS BRITAIN - READ MORE:
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|'We need to work together to protect precious chalk streams and keep taps flowing,' Southern Water said
"We need to work together to protect precious chalk streams and keep taps flowing," Southern Water said.
McMahon added: "We have to respond to the widespread and prolonged dry weather affecting our region.
"In our case, this means a hosepipe ban for our customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, to protect the health of our amazing chalk streams, which as one of the rarest habitats on earth has been compared to the Amazon Rainforest.
"We must act now to support the wildlife that live there, including Atlantic salmon and southern damselfly."
Southern has joined Yorkshire Water, South East Water and Thames Water in imposing hosepipe bans in the last few days alone.
GETTY | Customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire will soon see a ban imposed by Thames Water
Yorkshire's ban started on July 11 - while South East Water's restrictions will come into force this Friday.
And starting next Tuesday, customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, and parts of Wiltshire and Berkshire will see a ban imposed by Thames Water.
Britain's remaining water companies - Anglian Water, Dwr Cymra, Northumbrian Water, South West Water, United Utilities Water and Wessex Water - have not yet imposed restrictions.
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