by Martin Jefferies

Kent could be a facing a drought in the New Year because so little rain has fallen in the county in the last 12 months.

South East Water has issued an early warning, saying it cannot rule out introducing drought permits or possible water restrictions next spring.

The permits would allow the company, which supplies water to more than two million people across Kent, Sussex, Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire, to take more water from local rivers to fill its reservoirs.

The past year has been the driest in the south east since 1976 and the region had less than 30% of its average rainfall in October – one of the warmest on record.

Lee Dance, head of water resources at South East Water, said: "The unseasonably warm, dry weather we're continuing to experience has delayed the start of the traditional period when rainfall refills both our reservoirs and underground sources, giving them a much needed boost before next spring and summer.

"We're continuing to monitor the situation and we're fine tuning our water supply network to move water around.

"These changes have helped, as have the very small amounts of rain we've had recently.

"But it's prudent to plan ahead and make sure we do everything we can to secure supplies for our customers next year. That means having to plan for possible drought permits and water restrictions."

South East Water's two reservoirs at Ardingly and Arlington in Sussex are both just over a third full, while groundwater sources are also below average for this time of year.

At the same, customer demand for water has increased, peaking at 211m litres per day in October – up 44m litres on the same month last year.