The water company said its two depleted reservoirs, Ardingly and Arlington, were now 30 per cent and 50 per cent full, respectively.
However, head of water resources Lee Dance said more rain was needed to bring water resources back to normal for the time of year.
He added: “While we’ve not yet needed to use the drought order, it was prudent to get this in place in case we were faced with the worst case scenario of there being no rainfall and very low flows in the River Ouse, as this is where we abstract water from for 65,000 customers.”
John Clare, a spokesman for Anglian Water, said the company’s Pitsford and Rutland reservoirs were being replenished slowly thanks to drought permits granted recently.
“The system has suffered quite a shock from a very dry year and it could take as much as a year to recover,” he said.
Anglian is launching a water-saving campaign in nearby villages next week.