Severe drought has been declared in parts of Southern England, the government has announced.

The declaration was made for parts of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, East Sussex and West Sussex after a record-breaking hot summer that saw a heightened demand for water.

The announcement was made by the Environment Agency follows a meeting of the National Drought Group, which reviewed water resources and drought conditions across England.

The South East and South West have experienced their driest April to September for more than a century, affecting reservoirs in those areas, officials said.

Water companies have been told to step up drought planning, amid efforts to protect public water supplies in the affected areas.

Environment Agency says severe drought is the most critical stage of the dry conditions and can have “lasting effects on the environment, farming, people, communities, and the economy.”

The Environment Agency says on its website: “The lack of water leads to serious water shortages and widespread impacts across sectors.

“It’s when the lack of water begins to disrupt daily life and the environment in major ways.”

A drought occurs when a period of low rainfall creates a shortage of water, reducing water supplies to users.

England has had its driest start to the year since 1976 and the driest July since 1935. Millions of Britons are already subject to hosepipe bans and a village in Oxfordshire had to rely on tankers and bottled water when it ran out of water this week.

The triggers used to confirm the Environment Agency’s decision included looking at rainfall, river flows and groundwater levels, as well as the impacts these conditions had on the public water supply, extractors such as farmers, and the environment.

Water companies have drought plans that they will follow to manage the impacts of the drought. These are guided by local factors including reservoir levels, demand and weather forecasts.

These could see water companies impose more restrictions on non-essential domestic and commercial water use, including introducing hosepipe bans or reducing mains water pressure to slow down supply.

Water companies can also use drought permits or drought orders to take more water from rivers during the drought, or to restrict water use of other extractors, such as farmers.

Meanwhile, the Environment Agency’s main actions include processing and enforcing drought permits and orders, responding to fish and pollution incidents and introducing restrictions on canals and rivers where needed.