The Environment Agency has warned Sussex could still face water shortages next year despite recent heavy rain.

The last nine months have been one of the driest periods on record, putting water supplies under intense pressure.

Agency officials warned at least eight weeks of persistent rainfall would be needed to return river, reservoir and groundwater levels to normal levels.

Water levels are so low in East and West Sussex that no flood warnings have so far been issued, despite experiencing the same level of rainfall in the past week as expected in the whole of November.

Several flood warnings would normally be expected given the amount of rain that has fallen, particularly in the last 24 hours.

Overnight, 15mm of rain fell and a flood watch, the alert stage below a flood warning, has been ordered between Beachy Head and Hastings.

An Environment Agency spokesman said: "It is obviously going to help but it is the tip of the iceberg. We need prolonged heavy rain during the winter to prevent a drought next year.

"We would need it to rain like it is at the moment all winter."

Some areas in the South-East have had only 30 per cent of their average rainfall, leaving rivers at 20 per cent of their average.

Groundwater levels are particularly low in the South Downs, which are showing their second lowest levels since 1893. Only 1976 was lower.

January to October was the driest since 1959 and August to October the driest since 1972.

Sussex's main supplier, Southern Water, said it had been the driest autumn for 100 years and many areas were suffering drought conditions.

Operations director Martin Baggs said: "We would ask our customers to continue helping us conserve supplies by not wasting water."