Emergency measures are being used to tackle water shortages across Sussex.

The county's main water supplier, Southern Water, announced yesterday pumps were being installed in a reservoir for the first time in eight years to protect dwindling supplies.

The pumps will work from a pontoon floated in the middle of the Darwell reservoir, near Battle, which supplies water to more than 50,000 houses in the area.

Lack of rainfall in September means the reservoir is just 30 per cent full, well below average in the South- East.

Pumps will allow Southern Water to take water out of the reservoir for longer, while making plans to transport water in giant tankers from other areas such as Bewl Water, near the Kent/ East Sussex border.

Rainfall in September was 14 per cent of the normal amount in Sussex, which has left reservoir and underground water levels well below average.

Despite recent rain, there has not been enough to regain normal levels for this time of year.

Rebecca Burgess, Press officer for Southern Water, said: "We cannot predict what will happen in the coming months. We are taking action now to protect our supplies and ensure they continue to our customers.

"We are urging all our customers to continue to save as much water as they can at a time of the year when they are not used to saving water."

The water company refuses to say if there will be water restrictions in 2004 if the present low levels continue.

Miss Burgess said: "We are hoping our supplies will be replenished during the winter months."

Martin Baggs, Southern Water's operations director, said: "The last time we built the pontoon at Darwell was in 1995, when we experienced similar low levels of rainfall.

"The work allows us to continue using water from the reservoir for a longer period while arrangements are made to bring in alternative supplies.

"To help the situation, we would ask people to use water wisely and avoid wasting supplies wherever possible."