George Eustice said it was “right” that some companies had already taken steps to deal with England’s driest spell since 1976. Southern Water has imposed a pipe ban in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight. South East Water will impose a ban from next Friday, while Welsh Water will introduce one for Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire from August 19, banning households from using hoses to water their garden, wash their car or fill pools. In an article for the Sunday Telegraph, Eustice said: “I strongly urge other water companies to take responsible action to protect and conserve our water supplies during this extremely dry period.” Eustice also urged companies to do more to reduce leaks and said the government would finalize plans to make it easier to get planning permission for new reservoirs by the end of this year. Subscribe to First Edition, our free daily newsletter – every morning at 7am. BST He added: “Water companies have a duty to ensure an adequate supply and have assured me that essential water supplies are safe. “Under their drought plans, water utilities across the country have taken the right steps to mitigate the effects of this prolonged dry weather as pressure has increased on water resources and the environment.” It comes after the UK’s Center for Ecology and Hydrology said most of the UK’s rivers were on “red alert” with campaigners calling for an immediate ban on tubing across the country. Last month was England’s driest July for more than 100 years and some areas had their driest summer on record. According to forecasts, rivers are at the most severe drought warning level across the country, even in areas that have seen rain in recent weeks. The Rivers Trust accused water companies of waiting until the last minute to implement bans to avoid backlash from customers.