HOSEPIPE bans could last until OCTOBER after this week's sizzling 29C heatwave.
Nearly a million Brits across the country could be forbidden from watering their gardens or cleaning their cars for months, the Met Office has warned.
Temperatures are set to soar to 35C by Friday after balmy highs of 29C yesterday.
The red hot weather won't reach the record temperatures of July, however, which peaked above 40C in many areas.
Luckily, there's set to be a 10C drop and chances of showers or thunderstorms at the end of next week – but it's still too little.
There's not enough rain forecast to replenish rivers and reservoirs until October, Met Office analysis revealed.
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Last Friday, Southern Water enforced a hosepipe ban for 935,000 customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, following similar rules in place on the Isle of Man since July.
This Friday, households in Kent and Sussex will also face the same restrictions from South East Water, while Thames Water, Yorkshire Water and South West Water could be next.
Brits in these areas are forbidden from using hosepipes to water gardens or clean cars, and ornamental ponds and private swimming pools must remain empty.
Anyone who defies the rules could be slapped with a fine of up to £1,000.
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The bans will lift when there's enough rainfall, but the Met Office predictions aren't looking good.
Grahame Madge from the Met Office told The Times that although the heat will relax on Sunday, forecasts look light on rain.
He said: “I would suspect it’s going to take a while for meaningful rainfall to come through.”
Modelling from Southern Water also predicted that river water levels might only reach sufficient depths in early October.
One of the longest hosepipe bans in recent memory covered northwest England for 14 months until October 1996.
Today Brits have been warned by officials to look after each other in the fierce heat of the next few days, by staying hydrated, closing their curtains and avoiding wildfire smoke.
The UK Health Security Agency has issued a “heat health alert” lasting until 6pm on Saturday as temperatures peak at mid-30s – especially in London, the Midlands, and southeast and southwest England.
Scotland and Northern Ireland are set to enjoy high 20s this week which could rise to heatwave conditions by Friday.
This afternoon Southwestern areas including Gillingham in Dorset, Oxford, and Gloucester could swelter in 30C.
Forecaster Stephen Dixon told The Sun yesterday: “Temperatures over the next week are set to head up – especially in southern areas of the UK.
“There's a chance that heatwave criteria could be met in some places in the middle of next week with temperatures in the 30s.
“For a heatwave definition for us that would have to hit a certain threshold depending on the area for three days running."
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Last week, the Met Office said southern England had experienced its driest July since records began in 1836.
South-East and central southern England had an average of just 5mm (0.2ins) of rain last month, while East Anglia had only slightly more with 5.4mm (0.21ins).
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