Norfolk farmers have been warned of potential restrictions on their summer irrigation water after the driest February for decades.
East Anglia is one of only two areas in the country still officially in drought - six months after last summer's heatwave left farmers struggling to grow crops in parched fields.
Despite some desperately-needed winter rainfall, the region has suffered its driest February since 1959, adding to worries of more summer shortages as groundwater and reservoir supplies have not refilled.
The Environment Agency's updated assessment on summer irrigation prospects is rated as "moderate" in parts of Essex and Suffolk that experienced a wetter autumn, tending to "poor" in Norfolk coastal rivers and streams where groundwater levels remain mostly below normal.
The agency's report says: "The poor assessment for parts of Norfolk is subject to significant uncertainty at this stage, with two more months of potential recharge to groundwater.
"The most likely outcome remains moderate with the caveat that we cannot rule out demand reduction measures following a more extreme period of low rainfall during the summer. The risk of formal 'Section 57' spray irrigation restrictions is only slightly elevated and currently remains at a low probability of occurrence."
The "poor" classification means soil moisture deficit is developing early and "significant restrictions on abstraction from surface and groundwater are probable".
Meanwhile, "moderate" means "some controls on surface water abstraction are possible by midsummer if the weather is hot and dry", and controls on abstraction from groundwater are "possible in small, sensitive groundwater areas".
READ MORE: How 2022 summer drought affected Norfolk farmers
Kelly Hewson-Fisher, water resources specialist for the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said: "The picture is extremely varied and with very little rain on the immediate and longer term (three month) forecast, farmers continue to closely monitor the weather and water availability as we move into spring and as the demand for irrigation builds."
WATER LICENCE CHANGES
The subject of water abstraction was also raised at rural agency Brown and Co's spring seminar at Holt Rugby Club.
Agricultural business consultant Andrew Spinks outlined changes to surface water and borehole licensing under new government legislation.
He said permanent and time-limited licences previously issued under the Water Resources Act 1963 are being replaced under the Environment Act 2021 by a system of environmental permits which will be reviewed every six years.
He added that permanent abstraction licences could be varied or revoked, without payment or compensation, from January 2028.
"The world has changed," he said. "Everybody that had a permanent licence and thought they would be able to have water for evermore - that is no longer the situation.
"I am not sure if people have quite appreciated the impact of some of the changes that have happened recently.
"If you have an abstraction licence and are not aware of this - I'm sorry, but if you are not worried about it then you probably ought to be."
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