Another council has announced it will not provide hanging baskets and troughs this year because of the expected water shortages.

Lewes District Council also plans to limit the watering carried out by contractors and avoid using sprinklers in its parks and other green spaces.

Any watering will be done early in the morning to avoid evaporation before temperatures rise.

Last year the council's parks services managed to reduce water consumption by 5,826 cubic metres, due to careful management of its facilities.

At this stage suppliers are warning local authorities in the South East to prepare for expected shortages and to limit their use of water as much as possible.

A complete ban on watering public parks and amenity sites has not yet been suggested but this decision will be kept under review over the next few months.

Brighton and Hove City and Crawley Borough councils have already announced they will not be putting out displays this year.