Water saving could be more relevant now than at any time for more than 80 years, in light of a Met Office report.

In 1929, the first six months of the year saw an average rainfall of 275.7 mm of rain across the UK.

During the same period of 2010, 356.8 mm fell - making this the past century's second-driest start to a year.

The Met Office forecasts dry conditions over the south and east for the weekend and week to come, with a chance of thunder.

Further north, however, wet weather is expected, relieving the need for water saving to some extent in those parts.

The Met Office recently warned that the risk of droughts in the UK is likely to increase in the years to come due to climate change.

Droughts similar to the one in 1976 may occur as often as once per decade in the worst case scenarios - ten times as often as at present.