There is less water per person in the South East than in Morocco

The concerns are detailed in the agency's annual state of the environment report for the South East, published on Monday.

According to its estimates, there is now less water available per person in the region than in countries like Egypt and Morocco.

The report says: "Population increases will put further pressure on the South East's water resource balance.

It gives us a lot of opportunities with the water-saving devices to be able to live like we want to live Phillip Normanton, water-saving resident

"Few are probably aware that the amount of water available for each person living in the region is already lower than in Egypt, Morocco and Kenya and less than a fifth of Turkey.

"Hotter and drier summers brought about by climate change will mean that the availability of water supplies will come under even more pressure. "

The agency has called on water companies and local authorities to manage demand better and develop new resources to keep future stocks stable.

Trevor Bishop, of Mid Kent Water, said water companies were concerned about ensuring future supply.

Collecting rain water

He said: "We've looked at desalination on the north Kent coast, taking water from very deep bore holes and pumping some of the winter water that we get that floods people into these bore holes, or else storing it."

Increased metering and more efficient appliances such as washing machines are also essential.

A new estate on St Mary's Island, in Chatham, Kent, has been built with numerous devices to preserve water.

Mains water is metered, the toilet has a low water-use flush and rain is collected and stored for watering the garden.

Resident Phillip Normanton said: "It gives us a lot of opportunities with the water-saving devices to be able to live like we want to live.

"But you know at the same time that we are collecting free water from rain water and you can re-use it."