In its December drought prospects report, the agency said water companies, government and regulators needed to do more to plan for worst-case scenarios.
The EA is also working with industry body Water UK to review the effectiveness of temporary use bans, or “hosepipe bans”. Some customers “may have seen the restrictions as an indication that the water companies had failed to provide a good service”, it said.
Water resources are generally “very healthy”, the EA said, although groundwater levels in some sandstone aquifers in the Midlands are still exceptionally low. They may not fully recover for 12-18 months.