The hosepipe ban has finally been lifted after a month of flooding, heavy downpours and wet weather warnings.

South East Water and Thames Water have put an end to the restriction across the county after they were put in place this summer, the driest on record since 1976.

It was originally thought that parts of Kent were to remain under a hosepipe ban until next year.

However, the water companies confirmed that during the first week of November the area saw 107% of the total long term average monthly rainfall and by November 20, there had been close to two months of rainfall in just three weeks.

This resulted in the reservoirs starting to refill and the very dry soil responding by retaining the moisture and allowing water to again start seeping down to recharge the aquifers that hold groundwater.

Lee Dance, Head of Water Resources for South East Water said: “In July, the South East received only eight per cent of average rainfall and demand for water from our 1.4 million customers in Kent and Sussex was exceptional.

"At one point we were producing enough water daily to supply four additional towns the size of Maidstone or Eastbourne.

“I would like to say thank you to our customers for adhering to the restrictions and finding ways to cut down on their water use at a time that not only were our supplies in reservoirs and in the ground under immense pressure but so was their local environment too.

“Now due to the consistent rainfall in the past four weeks we can lift our Temporary Use Ban as we have seen more than 2.5 billion litres of water run into Ardingly Reservoir in West Sussex, resulting in it now being close to 75 per cent full.

“Although there is normally a lag between rainfall and groundwater recovery, with the soils much wetter than they would normally be at this time of year, the rain we have had and are expecting, will more easily seep down and refill the water table allowing levels to start to rising back towards normal levels."

Thames Water is still stressing that a cautious approach is still required with West London reservoirs remaining below average storage levels.

Sarah Bentley, Thames Water CEO said: “We are grateful to our customers for their support in saving water during the hosepipe ban.

"Small changes can make a huge difference when it comes to preserving water and we’re thankful to all our customers for their efforts.

“Careful consideration has gone into our decision to remove the ban.

"Despite the recent rain, we still need to protect our future water supply.

"We need more rain throughout winter to ensure our rivers and reservoirs are fully recharged, ready for spring and summer next year."

Although the temporary use ban has now lifted, customers are being urged to continue using less water at home.