Water companies will impose hosepipe bans during the summer following the second driest winter since 1904.

Southern Water is moving water around regions after little more than half the normal amount of rain fell from November to March.

Despite the April showers, Weir Wood reservoir near East Grinstead, which is key to the north Sussex supply zone, is still only 52 per cent full.

The company will enforce bans on hosepipes and sprinklers throughout north Sussex within the next three weeks.

These measures, the first in the area since 1996, are designed to help safeguard supplies for drinking and household use through the summer.

Areas affected include Crawley, Horsham, Rudgwick, Cowfold, West Grinstead, Henfield, Steyning, Washington, Storrington, Pulborough, Wisborough Green, Amberley, Fittleworth, Petworth, Northcapel, Midhurst, Cocking and South Harting.

Meyrick Gough, water planning and strategy manager, said if the demand for water begins to rise as the weather gets hotter then restrictions on hosepipes and sprinklers may have to be brought into other parts of the county.

Rainfall levels similar to those seen in the drought of 1975 have left water resources well below average levels for this time of the year.

There was just 33mm of rainfall in November. The long-term average was 92mm for the same month over the last few years.

December had 60mm compared to its long-term average of 95.5mm, January's 45mm was just half that month's normal rainfall, February's 22mm was less than half its long-term average of 58mm and March had 50mm compared to its long-term average of 67.5mm.

April saw some downpours but its 48mm of rainfall was still less than its long-term average of 58mm.

About 70 per cent of water supplies in the south come from underground sources and water levels are currently below average across the whole region, particularly in Sussex and Kent, due to the dry winter.

Mr Gough said: "Over the last ten years we have put in place a number of transfer pipelines, both across our area and also linking with other water companies, to help us move water around.

"These help us make the best use of the water we have available and mean we are in a better position than we would have been in these circumstances in previous years.

"Having seen the signs of a potential water shortage in advance, we reconfigured our supply network to try to rest as many sources as we could to allow them to benefit from the little rain we have received."

One pipeline completed last year links Southern Water with Portsmouth Water, taking supplies from Portsmouth to Hardham in Pulborough. This enables Southern Water to take up to 15 million extra litres a day for north Sussex.

Garden watering usually makes up about six per cent of water use but on hot days it can soar up to 70 per cent.

Southern Water urges customers to avoid wasting water. Tips include watering the garden with a watering can rather than a sprinkler, washing the car with a bucket rather than a hose and taking showers instead of baths. Log on to www.southernwater.co.uk and click "water efficiency" for further tips.

Crawley District Council said it waters bedding plants from a bowser, which is a large water container on the back of a truck. A spokeswoman said: "We don't water lawns except for cricket squares. It is wasteful to water lawns. They can withstand drought conditions and can quickly green up after it rains."

A spokesman for Horsham District Council said: "Every measure possible is taken to reduce the amount of water used on irrigation of the parks and open spaces in the district."

The first and only hosepipe ban in England this year was imposed by Sutton and East Surrey Water on April 22. The company's patch reaches as far as Gatwick airport.

Meanwhile, South East Water is continuing to monitor rainfall.

James Grinnell, water resources manager for the company, said: "South East Water is not going to implement any measures now. It is an option that South East Water will continue to consider."