Scottish Water is on standby in case its counterparts south of the Border need help tackling the drought which is blighting some areas.

In Scotland, water levels are normal for this time of year and while it has just had its wettest May on record, the UK Government has declared an official state of drought in parts of eastern England.

England as a whole experienced its driest spring in 100 years and farmers in drought-stricken areas have been hit with restrictions on water use.

In its latest monthly summary on UK rainfall, river and water levels published yesterday, the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) said a substantial proportion of eastern England saw less than a fifth of the normal levels of rainfall in May. Some parts of Kent received just 4mm of rain during the last month.

The dry conditions have left Cambridgeshire, Lincolnshire, parts of Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire and western Norfolk officially suffering from drought.

Meanwhile there are fears of imminent hosepipe bans in Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire and Leicestershire. Severn Trent Water has told its customers they may face water restrictions in some parts of the region unless rainfall levels return to normal soon.

In addition, parts of the South West, South East, Midlands and Wales are experiencing near-drought conditions, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said.

The figures from CEH showed Cambridge received just half the previous minimum rainfall it had ever had in spring in records dating back to 1848.

The Environment Agency said continued dry weather would add further pressure on water resources and drought conditions may spread into central England and further east.

Environment Secretary Caroline Spelman is set to convene a second drought summit in the next 10 days.

She said yesterday: “Once drought status is declared then the Environment Agency will go into talks with farmers about how to conserve as much of the remaining water supply as possible, and how to use it more judiciously.”

But as yet no approach has been made to Scottish Water, a spokesman said , adding: “Scottish Water is part of the Mutual Aid Scheme for UK water companies, by which water companies can call on each other to provide support in times of adversity.”