Heavy rainfall will be needed in February and March if Sussex is to recover from one of the driest winters on record, weather experts said yesterday.

The county has been badly hit by low rainfall.

Jeremy Plester, from the PA WeatherCentre, said increased downpours were needed but there was little prospect of heavy rain in the next week. However, he said it was too early to start predicting summer droughts.

He added: "The important thing to stress is that this section of weather, now until just after Easter, is the time when we would want to see more rain."

Southern Water has already started pumping water from the River Medway into the Bewl Reservoir, near Wadhurst, after it reached its lowest-ever level.

A spokeswoman said: "Since Friday, the reservoir is up one per cent to 36 per cent capacity. The licence allows us to pump in one per cent of capacity per day, meaning that we hope by the end of March it will be 90 per cent full."

Philip Eden, who writes on the British weather and climate, said: "During the late spring and summer most of the rainfall is used up by growing plants or it simply evaporates so the next two to three months are crucial if we are recover from the present situation.

"Unless February and March are very wet indeed, some parts of southern England are in for a summer of serious water shortage."