Around 3.5 million people have been banned from using hosepipes as the UK prepares for another heatwave with highs of 35°C this week.

Last month, the National Drought Group held an emergency meeting to move England into prolonged dry weather status – the stage before a drought.

Hosepipe rules bar people from washing cars and watering gardens but there are some exceptions to the rules.

Here’s what you need to know if your area is placed under a Temporary Use Ban (TUB).

Southern Water enforced a TUB from 5 August for customers in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.

South East Water will introduce a ban from this Friday, covering residents in Kent and Sussex.

Southern Water was the first mainland utilities company to introduce a ban.

The firm also applied to the Environment Agency for a Drought Permit on the River Test, which is a vital source of fresh water for south Hampshire, to allow them to continue to take water if levels continue to drop, despite current regulations to protect the salmon population.

However, campaigners say Southern Water has not conserved water adequately and should not be allowed to extract more.

The South East Water hosepipe ban prevents people from using their hosepipe to water vegetables, clean cars and fill swimming pools.

However, there are a number of exceptions, some of which have garnered criticism, such as filling up a hot tub and watering newly laid lawns.

The South East Water regulations state that watering new laws for the first 28 days after being laid is exempt from a hosepipe ban outside of peak hours that occur 8am to 10am and 5pm to 9pm.

However, the South East Water website says: “We would ask if possible to wait for cooler weather to lay new turf, when we expect to see demand for water reduce.”

People are allowed to use a drip or trickle irrigation watering system, a fixed watering system or a watering can rather than a hose, while the ban is in place.

A hosepipe can also be used to water grass or outdoor surfaces used for sport or recreation.

People must not fill or maintain domestic swimming pools or ponds, but hot tubs are exempt from the ban. Washing out a wheelie bin, cleaning the inside of a boat and watering pot plants is also exempt.

Caroline Gould, South East Water’s head of legal, told The Telegraph that the restrictions under the Water Industry Act 1991 apply to swimming and paddling pools but not hot tubs because they were seen as baths when the act was drawn up.

“We are therefore asking our customers to consider their usage and to wait until cooler weather and demand for water reduces for any water use that is not essential or necessary,” she said.

Christine Colvin, from the Rivers Trust, described the rules as “crazy” as people who wish to nurture their gardens and grow food cannot, while a hot tub is a “luxury use of water”.

Southern Water has similar rules and exceptions, but customers must ask for approval to use a hosepipe if wishing to water newly-laid turf for the first 28 days.

A hosepipe ban applies to the following activities:

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