Southern Water has warned tanker companies to stop delivering its water to the Wiltshire estate of an American billionaire.
Some of it was recently used, entirely legally, to help fill a lake, despite a hosepipe ban being in place locally for domestic users.
Multiple water tankers have been filmed both day and night by local residents filling up from standpipes in part of neighbouring Hampshire where a drought order is in place.
The BBC has been told that those tankers went to Conholt Park, a 2,500 acre estate owned by Stephen Schwarzman – who is one of the world's richest men and a financial backer of US President Donald Trump.
A spokesperson for Mr Schwarzman confirmed that a small proportion of the water transported had very recently been used to help fill a new lake but said the water has been "sourced through licenced providers responsible for the lawful and proper extraction and delivery". They said that following the Southern Water request the supply of water to the lake had been adjusted.
