Sussex is suffering a drought after the long, sweltering summer.

Water officials were meeting at Worthing today to discuss ways of averting a crisis as water sources plunge to critically low levels.

Reservoirs which are normally brimming with water at this time of year are shallow and underground water tables are well below their autumn average.

Water companies are pleading with customers to start conserving water in case the drought lasts into next year, sapping what is left.

The summer heatwave attracted thousands of tourists to the Sussex coast and the county's tourist industry reported its busiest times in 20 years.

But there was a huge upsurge in demand for water and the few showers of rain since have failed to replenish the county's reserves.

The Met Office says Sussex and the South-East has experienced the driest weather on record during the last ten months.

Spokesman Nigel Bolton said there should have been 575mm of rain falling during the first ten months of the year but there had only been 346mm in the South-East.

He said: "It has been very, very dry indeed. The last time it was as bad as this was in 1921. The impact was not so bad then because people were not using as much water."

Mr Bolton said rain forecast for the South-East today was unlikely to make much difference.

The low rainfall during the last ten months and the high summer temperatures, coupled with the heavy demand on water supplies, dried out ponds and reduced the flow of rivers throughout Sussex and cut fish stocks.

Rainfall has been below average for seven out of the last eight months, only 63 per cent of the yearly average. Last month, the recorded rainfall was 11mm, compared to the usual 75mm.

Southern Water's largest reservoir, Bewl Water on the Kent-Sussex boundary, which can hold 31,000 million litres, is only 55 per cent full, compared with an average for this time of year of about 80 per cent.

Ardingly Reservoir, which serves the Mid Sussex area, is just 30 per cent full, compared with 91 per cent at the same time last year.

Arlington Reservoir, which is operated by South East Water and serves Eastbourne and Hailsham, is 33 per cent full, compared with 54 per cent last year.

In Hastings, Darwell reservoir is 33 per cent full, compared with an average of about 65 per cent for this time of year and Powdermill is 46 per cent, compared with 80 per cent.

Across the Southern Water region, two-thirds of the water supplies are taken from underground sources via boreholes and, because of the low levels of rainfall, those levels are also below average.

Demand for water in the summer quadrupled in some areas and the reservoirs and underground aquifers used to supply customers in Sussex, Kent, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight have not received enough rain since to regain normal levels.

Wednesday October 22, 2003