Sydney will be under level two water restrictions within a few weeks as drought continues to ravage NSW.

The Premier has announced the restrictions will come into effect on December 10, forcing residents to water their gardens and wash their cars with buckets instead of hoses during approved hours.

It also means pools can only be topped up for 15 minutes a day using a hose with a trigger nozzle.

The level two restrictions haven’t been in effect in Sydney since the Millennium Drought.

But NSW Minister for Water Melinda Pavey says dam levels have shrunk to new lows making the new restrictions, which were originally planned to come into effect in February, more urgent.

“Because we’ve had a drop in those dam levels that were outside our timing and outside our predictions, it’s sort of like an insurance policy.

“We’re going into summer, we don’t want to get to a dire situation. We want to get as much out of our water supply as possible.”

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