# The South East Water Limited (River Ouse and Shell Brook) Drought Order 2025, Introduction: Introductory text


WATER RESOURCES, ENGLAND
Made 2nd December 2025
Coming into force 3rd December 2025
South East Water Limited (“the Company”) has made an application for an ordinary drought order under section 73(3)(b) of the Water Resources Act 1991 (“the Act”).
The Secretary of State is satisfied that proper notices of the application have been published and served by the Company in accordance with paragraph 1 of Schedule 8 to the Act and no objections to the application have been made.
In accordance with section 73(1) of the Act, the Secretary of State is also satisfied that, by reason of an exceptional shortage of rain, a serious deficiency of supplies of water is threatened in the Sussex region of the Company’s area of supply.
It appears to the Secretary of State expedient to make the provisions in this Order with a view to meeting this deficiency.
The Secretary of State makes this Order in exercise of the power conferred by sections 73(1) and 74(2)(f) and (5) of, and paragraph 2(5) of Schedule 8 to, the Act.

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Source: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2025/1266/introduction (the official version)
Page: https://openlegislation.uk/south-east-water-limited-river-ouse-and-shell-brook-drought-order-2025/introduction
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives.