The recent heavy downpours have today prompted two water companies to delay enforcing drought orders.

Southern Water, which covers large areas of the South East and southern England, said it will not use its order at once, even though it was today granted the power by the Government to impose the order in Kent and Sussex.

Mid Kent Water has also been granted a drought order, covering its entire area, and also said today it would not implement it.

Les Dawson, the Southern Water’s chief executive, said: "The situation is still serious, with some underground water sources running at near record low levels.

"Therefore, the restrictions might have to be introduced later this year and it is important that we have today received the authority from Defra. However, I am pleased to say the recent wet weather allows us not to implement the orders immediately."

When Southern Water applied for the order in March, the area was experiencing the driest period since the 1930s. Since then the area has enjoyed average rainfall in April and heavier than normal rainfall in May.

The first non-essential use drought order for over a decade was granted to Sutton and East Surrey Water earlier this month.

No other companies except Southern Water and Mid Kent Water have submitted drought order applications, although the Environment Agency has ordered Thames Water to apply. So far it has declined.

Mr Dawson praised customers for the efforts they had made to avoid wasting water. He said: "We are doing all we can to manage the situation.

"This includes working on over 50 projects to make more water available and move more around the region. We have also doubled the size of our leak detection teams and we have stepped up efforts to promote water efficiency."

Hosepipe and sprinkler restrictions remain in place in the company’s Kent, Sussex and Isle of Wight supply areas. The two Southern Water orders apply to the company’s Medway, Thanet and Hastings supply areas, and the second applies to its Sussex Coast and Sussex North supply areas.

The drought orders were granted on the agreement of Ian Pearson, the Environment Minister. He warned today that the recent rain which has washed out the Chelsea flower show would give the region a temporary boost but was not enough to solve the water shortage.

"Recent rainfall will temporarily boost river flows and help to maintain reservoir stocks but will do little for overall supplies because the region relies heavily on groundwater - water that seeps through the soil into porous rocks such as chalk - for 70 per cent of its supply," said Mr Pearson. "In the case of Mid Kent water that rises to 85 per cent.

"The winter recharge season is over, yet groundwater levels remain critically low, and the Environment Agency has advised that the rain we are seeing now will have little impact on these levels.

"Taking action now is the responsible thing to do."

Mr Pearson has been jokingly praised by colleagues in Parliament for his success in creating rain since he took over as Environment Minister earlier this month.

Rob Marris (Labour, Wolverhampton South West) has tabled a Commons motion in which he "congratulates the Minister for Rain ... for his immediate success, thereby continuing the West Midlands tradition started by Denis Howell in 1976".

In 1976 Mr Howell was tasked with the drought crisis, days before the heavens opened. Peter Bottomley also pointed out that as a former Tory Minister for the Environment in 1989 he was "around when the Northern Ireland rain was restored in 1989".

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• Milk: do we need a dairy godmother?
• DIY: the women doing it for themselves
• First double portrait of Princes unveiled