 Bewl Water's smaller tower would normally be under water |
Households in the South East are going to have to learn to live with less water, the Environment Agency has said. Rain in the last week had little effect on depleted reservoirs and the region has had 110mm of rain instead of the normal 160mm in the past three months.
Water firms have brought in hosepipe bans but the Environment Agency said people still need to conserve supplies.
Spokesman Peter Midgley said rainfall would be less in the coming decades and people had to be careful.
'Be careful'
"Parts of Kent get the same amount of rain as you get in the Mediterranean," he said.
"We are in a dry area of the country.
"We have also got climate change and undoubtedly over the next few decades the amount of rain we get will be less.
"So we have got to learn to live with that.
"People want water for washing machines, swimming pools and to keep lawns green.
"We have got to be careful."
Latest restrictions
Southern Water and South East Water both increased the level of water restrictions at the weekend.
Southern Water has banned the use of hosepipes and sprinklers in its Sussex and Kent supply areas. The Sussex areas affected are Crawley, Horsham, Chichester, the area north of the South Downs, and Sussex coastal areas - areas affected in Kent are Medway and Thanet.
South East Water's hosepipe ban covers customers in East and West Sussex and west Kent, affecting 268,000 households. The local authority areas affected are Crawley, Mid Sussex, Wealden, Eastbourne, Rother, Lewes, Tonbridge and Malling, Tunbridge Wells and Sevenoaks.
Mid Kent Water has banned sprinklers and unattended hosepipes in Ashford, Maidstone, Canterbury, Herne Bay and Whitstable. A sprinkler and unattended hosepipe ban came into force in Sutton and East Surrey Water's supply area in April. 
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