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A drought order has been granted in England and Wales for the first time since 1995, banning the non-essential use of water.

Under the six-month order, Sutton and East Surrey Water can ban car washing, the filling of swimming pools and watering of parks and sports grounds.

The company supplies water to 650,000 people in the South East.

Environment minister Ian Pearson said he expected the company to use its new powers sensitively.

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Full story BBC

David Adam, environment correspondent
Wednesday May 17, 2006

Converted oil tankers could ship water to parched south-east England from Norway and Scotland if drought conditions worsen, Britain's biggest water company said yesterday.

Richard Aylard of Thames Water said emergency planners were investigating whether obsolete single-hulled tankers could be cleaned and equipped to transport millions of gallons of water by sea, a more practical method than trying to move it by land.

He said: "It's not impossible. It would be an extraordinary thing to do, but if we get into an extraordinary situation we have to look at extraordinary measures." He added the scheme would be "very much a last resort" and that it was better to use existing supplies more wisely.

Full report in theGuardian