England has had its driest February in 30 years according to provisional figures from the Met Office.

Despite fears that a weather system which created the Beast from the East would bring snow and icy showers, the meteorological winter concluded with a dry and mild month for most - prompting a request for people to still use water wisely as we edge closer to spring and summer.

And while some freezing temperatures and icy spells could still be on the cards for early March - rainfall during the past few weeks has been in short supply.

With, on average, just 15.3mm of rain for the month it marks the eighth driest February in records going back to 1836 and the driest February since 1993.

Areas to the south and east were particularly dry, with Bedfordshire, Greater London and Essex all recording figures that put the month in their respective top five driest Februarys on record. Essex was the county with the least amount of rainfall with a provisional 3.5mm - just 8% of its average.

The dry theme was replicated across the majority of the UK with Wales and Northern Ireland also seeing significantly less rainfall than average which contributed to the UK seeing just 43.4mm in total - or 45% of its average.

Dr Mark McCarthy of the Met Office’s National Climate Information Centre said: “The second half of January was largely dry and that theme continued through February with high pressure centred over the UK for much of the month, helping to repel advancing fronts and keep low pressure systems away, and resulting in a notable long winter dry spell.

"That high pressure has principally, but not exclusively, been focused around the southern half of the UK, meaning southern England has been particularly dry, with just 9.7mm of rain falling here, which is just 16% of its average."

After one of the driest summers on record last year a number of water companies across the country brought in hosepipe bans as part of efforts to control supplies.

There had been some expectations that the bans could last into 2023 but the restrictions came to an end in November last year for most when heavy downpours brought close to two months of rainfall in just two weeks.

Environment Agency executive director and National Drought Group chair John Leyland said most water levels have returned to normal but the low rainfall is a reminder for people to remain vigilant.

He explained: "While most water levels have returned to normal across much of the country, low rainfall in recent weeks highlights the importance of remaining vigilant.

"We cannot rely on the weather alone, which is why the Environment Agency, water companies and our partners are taking action to ensure water resources are in the best possible position both for the summer and for future droughts.

"As ever, it is important that we all continue to use water carefully to protect not just our water resources; but our precious environment and the wildlife that depends on it."