Already? Britons brace themselves for early hosepipe ban after 'dry' winter

Earlier this month, several areas of Britain including the South East, the Midlands and parts of Yorkshire experienced no rainfall at all for 15 days.

It follows an unusually dry six months between October and March - the driest since 1995 and 1996, according to the Met Office. 

According to long-term forecasts, the next three months will also be dry, making water restrictions likely.

Water supplier Affinity, which covers the south east, said it was "monitoring the situation closely with clear plans in place". 

January to March saw rainfall 50 to 70 per cent below average in our region," the company said.

"We have not seen the rise in groundwater levels we expected, and some rivers have seen flows decrease."

Bob Ward of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment told the Daily Star: "It's not yet a crisis, but we're beginning what may become a period of drought.

"A continued lack of rainfall could lead to water restrictions."

Suppliers are warning customers to be watchful of the amount of water they are using as summer approaches. 

One area in danger of a sever water shortage is Kent, which is almost entirely dependent on groundwater from rainfall. 

A spokesman for Southern Water told Kent Live: "The winter of 2016/17 was drier than average, particularly in the months leading up to Christmas. This means there are lower water levels across our regional water sources."

However, rainfull in the first three months of 2017 had helped , and that groundwater and river levels were up as a result.