Missed the lions share of the recent rains here but it feels like a change underground at last with the lakes across the road showing signs of a rise. As you say we need a lot more.

Meanwhile, the local water table is beginning to recover, but only in baby steps; it's 3m above the minimum ever recorded on this date - a week ago it was only 1m above. But that still leaves a 30m rise to regain the position of early winter two years ago.

Rise in water table successively over the last few days (in metres) 0.12, 0.23, 0.43, 1.5, 1.2

EDIT ... and today's increase, 1.4

The local MP, Mims Davies (see link), who does not command my respect on several issues, is more concerned with NIMBY construction rather than ensuring that the neighbouring constituency actually has water to drink. The route of the pipeline BTW, is likely to be along a disused railway line for the most part.

https://www.sussexexpress.co.uk/news/politics/east-grinstead-and-uckfield-mp-responds-to-proposal-for-pipeline-between-sussex-reservoirs-5443365 

Not good IMO.

Interesting though that the Arlington reservoir was at similar levels a year ago and within a couple of months was close to full

Be jealous!

https://www.unitedutilities.com/help-and-support/your-water-supply/your-reservoirs/reservoir-levels/ 

True - though they have to fill the reservoir by pumping from the river Uck, whose level is rather low at the moment

https://www.gaugemap.co.uk/# !Map

It's noticeable that recent wet weeks have not yet made ground as soft as you'd think so can still travel on most fields if need be.

It's not that low a total though, 2022 had only 482.4mm

If 2026 were to follow a similar pattern to 2025 with prolonged dry spells starting in February, it could be concerning again as early as April.

This is clear evidence that despite the wetter than average autumn and the wet start to this month which we had, the river levels have still never really recovered from the sustained dry weather which preceded that during the earlier part of this year and even going all the way back to last year.

To make matters even worse, it’s now dried up yet again at the very time of the year when we need to be getting sustained rainfall which will help to replenish our rivers and reservoirs. Without that, I fear that we will have even worse issues regarding water scarcity next year than what we experienced this year and in that regard, the fact that the model output is showing little or no signs of any significant rainfall for the foreseeable future is very concerning indeed.

The inner lakes as I call them are still about 1.5m below the outer ones. I can see why Wessex Water are still concerned about the medium to long term rainfalls.

Sometimes I have concerns for the sanity of Planning Officers when I read things like this below. It's almost as if they believe water comes out of the tap on demand and food is made in supermarkets. I'm almost certain that including individual underground cisterns for each house are not part of the plan. Perhaps just the suggestion of having a small water butt in the garden... You can repeat this all over the south of England where water resources are tight at the best of times. Darren's the best placed to appreciate the insanity of a single main to supply his island.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c5yj1xjj5glo 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c7735lv4nn4o 

Round here after a recent rise in level of the local Winterbournes they have dropped back to a low flow.The ground is still soaking up the rain it seems.

Whilst fencing along a hedge a few weeks ago the ground was dry as a bone in pla moisture deficit ces whilst quite soggy in others.We need another wet month before April to address the deficit.

I agree we still need a lot more rain in the next month or so.

Ipswich Town's Championship fixture against Portsmouth has been postponed for the second time in just weeks, this time due to a waterlogged pitch at Fratton Park… says it all 🤬