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  "path": "/news/south-west-water-britons-half-fill-paddling-pool",
  "publishedAt": "2026-05-27T03:17:46.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "came just as Britain marked its hottest May day on record",
    "Labour councillor lasts just 20 minutes as local authority's chairman",
    "Neighbour row spanning 15 years saw couple harangued by woman next door who spied on them",
    "Historic British villages lost in Labour's housebuilding ‘frenzy’ as communities balloon in size",
    "resigned over his response to major outages",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nWater bosses at a firm whose reservoirs are full have demanded Britons only fill their paddling pools to the halfway line.\n\nSouth West Water, which loses 107 million litres a day through unrepaired leaks, told customers a half-filled pool was \"just as much fun\".\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nKilljoys urged customers to limit filling up paddling pools - despite its reservoirs being 90 per cent full.\n\nThe company, which covers Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, said: \"A half-filled pool is just as much fun. Cover your pool to keep the water usable for up to three days.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\nSouth West Water owns 23 reservoirs across Devon and Cornwall, with levels between 85 per cent and 90 per cent.\n\nLiz Northcott, 74, told The Sun: \"My great-grandchildren are in the paddling pool and there will be no half measures.\"\n\n\"They don't have a shortage, so why tell us to use less water?\" she added.\n\nThe intervention came just as Britain marked its hottest May day on record, with temperatures reaching 35C in parts of London.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe Met Office has confirmed conditions climbed to their highest at Heathrow Airport and Kew Gardens in the capital.\n\nMonday had set a new record with 34.8C - again, at Kew Gardens.\n\nThe previous May peak had stood since 1922 when Camden Square experienced a high of 32.8C.\n\nOn the other side of the country, South East Water faced MPs' fury after taps ran dry over the weekend.\n\n### SOUTH WEST - READ MORE:\n\n\n\n\n  * Labour councillor lasts just 20 minutes as local authority's chairman\n  * Neighbour row spanning 15 years saw couple harangued by woman next door who spied on them\n  * Historic British villages lost in Labour's housebuilding ‘frenzy’ as communities balloon in size\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nMore than a thousand customers across Kent and East Sussex were left high and dry across the sweltering Bank Holiday thanks to a series of infrastructure failures.\n\nDave Hinton, its former chief executive, resigned over his response to major outages that left thousands of customers without running water.\n\nChris Train, the company's former chairman, also stepped down earlier this month.\n\nThe supply crisis began in the run-up to Christmas, with approximately 24,000 properties across Kent and East Sussex experiencing disruptions during November and December.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWeeks later, up to 30,000 homes endured several days of water chaos.\n\nCanterbury MP Rosie Duffield said: \"Despite the recent dramatic change of management at South East Water, we have yet to see any change in acceptable levels of service or visible leadership.\n\n\"Yet again my constituents are left without water in a heatwave, the most basic necessity.\n\n\"We need to see proper investment, effective management and urgent intervention by Ofwat and the Government to ensure these incidents stop happening on a regular basis.\"\n\nSouth West Water said: \"We support our customers to use water wisely in all weathers.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "Wasteful water bosses demand Britons half-fill their paddling pools 'because it's just as much fun'"
}