Anglian Water is urging residents to avoid hosepipes and limit their water use due to ongoing hot and dry weather.
The water company has advised against using hosepipes and asked that water be conserved for essential activities such as drinking, cooking, and washing.
High temperatures of more than 30 degrees Celsius are forecast throughout this week in the East of England, the third heatwave so far this year.
A statement from Anglian Water reads: "With the hot and dry weather continuing this week, please avoid using hosepipes and save water for essentials such as drinking, cooking and washing.
"The recent warm temperatures are putting extra pressure on the network, and it's been working at full capacity for weeks to meet demand.
"While our teams are treating and supplying more water than ever before, and we're continuing to invest in our network to make it more resilient for the future, there is only so much water we can treat and move around the network at one time.
"By using water for the essentials only and putting off non-essential water use for now, you'll help reduce pressure on the network and keep taps flowing for everyone."
Anglian Water has said that temperatures in the high 30s could become the "new normal" as the climate crisis progresses.
Demand for water is higher than usual during hot weather and increased usage puts pressure on the water network, leading to issues like low pressure and bursts.
Ian Rule, Director of Water Services for Anglian Water, said: “The Anglian Water region is one of the driest in the country, which is why we’ve invested for decades to strengthen drought resilience.
"But as we mark 50 years since the 1976 drought, we’re again facing a hot, dry summer following last year’s record conditions – and we need to face the reality that this kind of extreme weather is becoming our new normal.
"While our networks remained resilient throughout the last spell of hot weather, demand for water was a third higher than on a typical day, putting a huge amount of pressure on our systems.
"And although we’re not putting hosepipe bans in place at the moment, the situation is changing very quickly and we can’t completely rule them out for this summer."
Anglian Water is advising residents to avoid washing their cars and patios and reuse water where possible.
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