A stream of "endless leaks" has left frustrated residents in Kent questioning the logic of a hosepipe ban enforced across large parts of the county today.

Following weeks of dry weather and ahead of a scorching weekend, South East Water has brought in the restrictions until further notice.

But with the ban now in place, residents in part of Ashford say it is "galling" to see constant leaks blighting the area.

One – at the junction of Grosvenor Road and Faversham Road in Kennington – has been ongoing for almost two weeks.

Angry resident Julie White, 60, said: "I'm having to water my plants with my washing up water.

"It's probably not very good for them, but they're going to die anyway."

Renee Stolten, who runs a beauty business from home, says the endless leaks in the road are taking a toll on her company.

"It's been a pain on my business," she said.

"I've got pictures of my whole garden flooded and I've had to tell my clients to park around the corner because of the floods causing the road to be closed.

"It's crazy and frustrating. Normally our garden is green because it gets so much water."

Neighbour Judy Steele says Grosvenor Road is like a patchwork quilt with the number of quick fixes have been done.

"Part of the pipe gets fixed but then the pressure goes to the next weakest point; so it's either this road and around, or it affects Ulley Road," she said.

"You can see water spewing up the road, and no one will take responsibility for it.

"We're sitting here in the winter and watching our fence panels rot.

"It's just literally a waste of water."

Ms Steele added that along Faversham Road the water runs down a slope and into their gardens.

"It funnels around into our neighbour's drive in Faversham Road, and into our garden," she said.

"It's a blame game because no one wants to claim responsibility.

"The road being shut every other week or month, surely that's not right? Water could be seen bubbling up the concrete which shows how strong it is.

"The wastage is just disgusting."

'It's pretty galling watching a leak right outside your window...'

Mrs Steele says that even amid 30C heat, the road is still wet because of the leak.

"It's really hot, yet there's still a puddle there so it's not an old leak that's just been left," she said.

"It's fresh and is still coming through."

Another resident says they feel so annoyed seeing the leak everyday.

"It's quite frustrating really because we're doing our best to conserve water, letting the plants die where they're not important ones, and seeing water leaking constantly at the same time just the other side of the fence is quite frustrating," they said.

"It's just wasting water constantly. There's an ongoing problem.

"When we're all taking responsibility and taking it seriously, and the water company doesn't appear to be, while sending out emails telling us how important it is to conserve water, it's pretty galling watching a leak right outside your window constantly going for two weeks.

"We know the weather has been extreme and it's been an extremely dry period, and if a hosepipe ban is necessary then it's necessary, but there's no excuse to constantly lose water where they could invest and do something about it."

Despite the ban coming into force today, seven areas of the county are allowed to continue to use hoses and sprinklers for the foreseeable future.

Affinity Water, which supplies homes along the east coast from Dungeness to Dover, including Folkestone, Hythe and the surrounding rural communities, has promised not to impose hosepipe bans for the rest of the year, but warned that rain would be needed to avoid action in 2023.

Also avoiding restrictions for now are Thanet, Deal, Sittingbourne and the Isle of Sheppey, all of which rely on Southern Water for both waste and drinking water.

Elsewhere, Dartford and part of Sevenoaks - served by Thames Water - are not yet subject to a ban, but the company has confirmed it will be introducing one in the coming weeks.

Any South East Water customer who ignores the ban risks a fine of up to £1,000, bosses say.

The company was contacted for comment about the Kennington leaks.