all countries sovereignty and territorial integrity. but former us intelligence officials say they believe china may be using balloons to intercept communications. if you re trying to pick up cell phone transmissions or understand communication patterns, then i could theoretically see where the balloon could be a useful platform for that. countries spy on each other all the time. but the very public nature of china s balloon flights has drawn new attention on the potential scale and ambition of china s surveillance programme. gordon corera, bbc news. a hosepipe and sprinkler ban affecting south east water customers across kent and sussex has come into force today. people are forbidden from using hosepipes to water gardens, clean cars and patios, and to fill swimming pools with fines of up to £1,000 if they don t comply. the chief executive of south east water has blamed the rise in working from home as driving up demand for water.