What a difference a year makes! This time last year we were in the middle of the country's most seering heatwave.

Temperatures in the UK hit 40C for the first time ever - and East Anglia was one of the hottest parts of the country.

This came in the middle of a long dry spell and there were real fears that homes and businesses might run out of water.

East Anglian Daily Times: River levels in parts of Suffolk have fallen below normal, the Environment Agency says. Pictured: The River Orwell in late June 2022.

But this year the picture is very different - even though parts of Europe are suffering even higher temperatures than we had then.

While June may have been relatively hot and dry, most of the spring saw a lot of rain - and this month is on course to be one of the wettest Julys on record.

All this has given a big boost to Anglian Water's stocks.

A spokeswoman for the company said: "Overall our reservoirs are around 91% full (compared to around 84% this time last year) and groundwater stores have recovered well following the rainfall we have had this year.

"We are likely to start seeing our reservoir levels decrease now heading into August as we work hard to reduce the impact of abstraction on our rivers to help support flows and protect the environment.

"We’re still not currently forecasting any temporary restrictions in water use this year in our region."

However there are still several weeks of summer ahead. And while there is no sign of a heatwave or drought on the horizon, Anglia Water is still keen that customers should be careful with their use of water. 

It is continuing to monitor resources and rivers very carefully to ensure it is doing all it can to protect the environment while keeping up with customer demand.

The spokeswoman added: "Looking ahead, we do need continued helpful rainfall this autumn/winter to ensure we have enough for next spring/summer, and we continue planning ahead at pace for potential future droughts with continued significant investment for our region."