Thames Water has announced it will be putting a hosepipe ban in place from next week, impacting millions of customers.
The ban will begin next Tuesday for customers in Oxfordshire, Gloucestershire, most of Wiltshire and some parts of Berkshire.
It follows similar bans bought in by South East Water for customers in Kent and Sussex.
The water company said the measure will be brought in after the Environment Agency placed its area into the "prolonged dry weather category."
The hosepipe ban will be brought in for millions
PA
The ban will begin on July 22 for customer in all OX postcodes, all GL postcodes, all SN postcodes as well as customers in RG4, RG8 and RG9 postcodes.
Strategic water resources director at Thames Water Nevil Muncaster said: "This has been a challenging spring and summer with big spikes in customer demand during hot dry days and very little rainfall to replenish local supplies in the Thames Valley.
"Given the continued warm, dry weather we do not anticipate that the situation will improve any time soon so we have to take action now.
"Every drop of water we use comes from the environment and we have to balance protecting this while taking out the water needed to top-up reservoir levels."
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
Thames Water confirmed they would be bringing in the ban
GETTYCustomers living in areas affected by the ban are asked not to use hosepipes, including for cleaning cars, watering gardens or allotments, filling paddling pools and swimming pools or cleaning windows.
It comes as much of the UK is in for a reprieve from the hot weather as the third heatwave this summer starts to come to an end.
The heatwave saw fire and rescue teams tackling wildfires in London, Surrey, and Perth in Scotland, and a hosepipe ban come into force in Yorkshire, with similar restrictions issued for Kent and Sussex from July 18.
Oasis fans were told to prepare for extreme sun and heat ahead of the band’s sellout reunion shows at Heaton Park in Manchester while penguin chicks at London Zoo cooled off with their first dip in the big pool.
Temperatures which have exceeded 30C in several parts of the country and broken multiple records over the weekend are widely forecast to cool.
Met Office meteorologist Greg Dewhurst said: "The heatwave is starting to come to an end as low pressure starts to move in from the Atlantic.
"We say goodbye to high pressure as this area of low pressure takes over, bringing bands of heavy rain, some thundery downpours, but also bringing in some fresher conditions across many parts."