Officials have warned that precipitation over the coming six months would need to exceed the average by 120 per cent to achieve a full nationwide recovery.
Even with wetter weather returning, experts stressed that typical rainfall levels will be insufficient to undo the damage caused by the prolonged drought.
The Environment Agency has approved drought permits allowing South East Water to cut daily releases from Ardingly into the River Ouse by three million litres, while South West Water may reduce flows to the River Exe by nine million litres each day.
However, conservationists fear these measures could prove fatal for salmon and other freshwater species deprived of clean water.
Only the North West and North East of England remain outside formal drought status.
A Government spokesman said: “Customer water supplies remain uninterrupted. We have instructed water companies to transfer water to support the lowest reservoirs, speed up leak detection and deliver daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels to help ease the pressure on public supplies.”
