Thousands of people in Oxfordshire could face hosepipe bans this summer for the first time in 15 years following one of the driest winters on record.

Councillor John Power, Botley Road allotment holderWeather experts have warned that water shortages loom large on the horizon unless more rain falls soon.

But the forecast is dry for the Bank Holiday weekend and gardeners are being urged to avoid buying thirsty plants over Easter.

Thames Water has not ruled out restrictions after the region received just half the expected rainfall since November -- making this the third driest winter since records began.

The unseasonably dry spell has left underground water resources at half their usual levels and river flows much lower than normal.

The water company and the Environment Agency are closely monitoring the situation. They said rainfall over the coming weeks would dictate what measures would be taken.

If a hosepipe ban is imposed, allotment holders could find their crops drying up.

John Power, secretary of the allotment association in Botley Road, Oxford, said water shortages were not the only problems allotment holders had to deal with.

He said: "We have pictures of people in a boat on our car park. We have endured successive years of flooding and now we're told we could have a water shortage."

Thames Water spokesman Chris Shipway said: "The key thing is rainfall. We have seen only 49 per cent of expected rainfall since November 2004."

He confirmed that the company had not ruled out imposing restrictions to tackle potential shortages, but said it was too early to speculate if they would be required.

He said reduced underground water resources had led to the water shortage concerns and that Farmoor Reservoir was at a normal level.

A Met Office spokesman said: "In a normal wet winter, Britain's weather systems move from west to east across the country driven by Atlantic storms.

"Over the past few months, Britain's weather has been dominated by weather systems moving from the north or the east and, though they produce colder weather, they usually produce much less rain."

The last time water restrictions were imposed was in 1990 when hosepipe bans remained in place for five months.

Thames Water confirmed that a new reservoir between Abingdon and Wantage was still an option to meet long-term demands.

Over the next five years, Thames Water will be embarking on a £3.1bn investment programme -- including replacing London's leaking Victorian era water mains.

Residential bills from Thames Water are set to rise by 24 per cent over the next five years to fund the project.

The Oxford area is presently suffering the third driest winter since records began in 1882. The driest was in 1975/76, beginning the now legendary drought, and the second driest 1943/44.

Last October, Keith Mitchell, leader of Oxfordshire County Council, called for more investment in water supply and treatment works to cope with the Government's plan to build thousands of new houses in the South East.

Mr Mitchell said unless money was spent, millions of homes could face regular shortages and bans.