Anglian Water rules out hosepipe ban in the East despite low rainfall

At this time, providers say they are not expecting to need to introduce restrictions on water

A water company has ruled out enforcing a hosepipe ban in the East of England despite the driest summer for 46 years.

Anglian Water said the region had only seen 4% of normal rainfall levels in July but that resources were "in reasonable shape".

Much will depend on whether the East experiences a second dry winter, spokeswoman Regan Harris told the BBC.

The period between January and June this year was the driest in England since 1976, the Met Office said.

Temperatures exceeding 40C were recorded across the UK for the first time during the heatwave on 19 July, with Coningsby in Lincolnshire recording the highest at 40.3C.

Grafham Water: Anglian Water said reservoirs in the East were 80% full

Ms Harris said Anglian Water officials would continue to monitor the situation but there was "no immediate cause for concern".

"We're not proposing any restrictions at the moment but we definitely need to be mindful of the water we are using, to make sure there's enough to go around," she said.

"If we get a second dry winter things will look significantly different for next year."

• Driest first half of year in England since 1976

• Water firms see 'extraordinary' demand in heatwave

She said public water supplies and groundwater sources were "in reasonable shape" - and that reservoirs were 80% full on average.

Regan Harris said Anglian Water would not introduce a hosepipe ban this year

However, Suffolk farmer Will Folds said he believed restrictions needed "some serious thought" from the water companies.

Mr Folds, who runs a 110-hectare arable farm near Ipswich, said his land was "brick dry" and had "run out of moisture" this summer.

"With the temperatures here reaching the forties, and it's been quite windy all the time, it's perfect drying conditions," he told the BBC Today programme.

"We have only seen 18ml of rain here since the start of June and we have seen these extreme temperatures.

"They're still forecasting more extreme temperatures potentially," he added.

"We are well-prepped for long, dry summers," Ms Harris added.

"This is the driest region in the country and we get on average a third less rainfall than anywhere else.

"Part of our resilience is preparedness for that dry weather."