Britain declared a drought in the southeast and warned that the rest of the country faced widespread water shortages this summer, with some supplies at their lowest for a quarter of a century.

We are asking everyone to use less water

Despite the country’s reputation as having a rainy climate and the fact that it is still winter in the northern hemisphere, the government hosted a “drought summit” with water companies, farmers and wildlife groups.

Environment Minister Caroline Spelman said southeastern England had now joined the Anglia region in eastern England and other parts of the country in drought.

“More areas are likely to be affected as we continue to experience a prolonged period of very low rainfall,” Ms Spelman said.

“We are asking for the help of everyone by urging them to use less water and to start now.”

Following the summit, companies in the southeast warned that water restrictions such as hosepipe bans may be needed to ensure essential public supplies are maintained throughout the summer.

The spread of drought prompted warnings from green groups that England’s water supply system was failing to work effectively to conserve water and protect the environment.

The water companies said they were not running out of water but without a dramatic improvement in the situation, with significant rainfall in the next few weeks, they will have to implement measures to tackle drought.

They said only 73 per cent of the expected rain had fallen on the southeast from October to January, the lowest rainfall for this period since 1992. The River Lee, north of London, currently has only 24 per cent of its average amount of water, Thames Water said.

Government agencies said some rivers and groundwater levels were lower than in Britain’s drought of 1976, which came during a particularly hot summer.

In the Thames Valley and London, rainfall has been below average for 18 of the last 23 months.

Some companies have already been granted or applied for drought permits or drought orders to refill reservoirs. The worst affected, Ardingly reservoir in West Sussex and Bewl in Kent, are around two-fifths of normal levels.

In eastern England, Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire, parts of Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire and west Norfolk are still in a state of drought, which was first declared in those areas last summer.

The Anglia region saw its driest ever September to January period.

A number of rivers in eastern and southern England are at very low levels, with some drying up completely in places.

The average British household uses over 100,000 litres of water every year.