Low water levels across Sussex as rain stays away

Southern Water say that “the winter of 2016/17 was drier than average, with Met Office figures showing the South-East received only 77 per cent of normal rainfall.

“This means there are lower water levels across our regional water sources than in previous years.

“Rainfall during January, February and March has helped, with groundwater levels up as a result.

“This is important as 70 per cent of the water we supply comes from underground sources. River levels also increased, allowing us to pump some of this water into our key reservoir at Bewl, which is on the Kent/East Sussex border.

“Despite the dry winter, we don’t believe we will need to take measures, such as introducing Temporary Use Bans, previously known as hosepipe bans, in our water supply areas this spring and summer.”

Weather forecast

Gardeners across Sussex hoping for some rain over the next week could be frustrated as the Met Office is forecasting plenty of sunshine and warm weather.

Friday (May 12) is the most likely to see some showers, with heavier falls further north in the county.

Tomorrow (Thursday May 11), though, is set to be particularly warm with temperatures heading into the low 20s degC.

Over the weekend and into next week the wind direction will move to a more south-westerly direction, bringing a mix of cloud and sun and temperatures in the mid to high teens.

As a result, UV levels will be quite high in the middle of the day, although the pollen count will only be medium.

Towards the end of the month the Met Office says it will stay drier, brighter and possibly turn very warm and humid for a time.

However, there will still be the chance of some heavy and possibly thundery showers.