East of England has driest February since 1959

Anglian Water said the region faces a probable drought due to the lack of rain

The East of England had the driest February since 1959 and third driest on record.

Data from the Met Office showed the month had 6.1mm of rain averaged across the region - just 14% of the long-term average.

Anglian Water said the East faced a probable drought this summer, with winter rainfall not as heavy as required.

Dan Holley, head of forecasting at Weatherquest, said: "Looking at the rolling data over the last 12 months, the deficit is now three months of rain, if you’re going to get back to average levels."

Met Office data showed Essex had the least amount of rainfall in February in the UK, with 3.5mm falling in the month - just 8% of its average.

It also said Bedfordshire had a particularly dry February, according to records dating back to 1836.

February 2023 has been by far the driest February of the decade in the region

Mr Holley said: "The latest long-range forecast from the Met Office suggests that the chance is higher for a dry spring this year than for a wet one."

As well as a dry February, last year’s rainfall in the region was the lowest for a decade.

Mr Holley said the dry February was "just one of many months of dry weather" and that 11 of the previous 12 months had seen below average rainfall.

He added: "Last summer, when it was incredibly dry, the big attention was on this winter to see if we could make up the lost rainfall.

"While we have had some rain at times, we haven’t put much of a dent in the deficit."

Anglian Water said while its reservoirs had recovered, groundwater sources, especially in north Norfolk, were well below normal levels.

The service provider confirmed a hosepipe ban was not out of the question this summer.