After one of the longest dry periods since records began, Oxfordshire has enjoyed a month of above average rainfall.

But Thames Water said the county will need a lot more rainfall to replenish ground water levels and cut the risk of water restrictions next summer.

And with forecasters predicting a cold, dry winter the possibility of hosepipe bans and other water-saving measures being introduced next year is still high.

Last month, for the first time since November 2004, the rainfall in Thames Water region was 28 per cent (82mm) above average and the Oxford and Witney area was 16 per cent (67mm) above average.

The 11-month period of below average rainfall equals the record for the longest stretch of dry weather in the area since records began in 1897 -- the other two periods were between October 1975 and August 1976, and February to December 1921.

Typical water usage in Oxford, Witney, Banbury and the surrounding area is about 138m litres a day at the moment, but this can rise to about 160m in the summer months.

Thames Water spokesman Andrew Boyd said: "Although it has been a wet October, we need to see that carry on week after week to refill underground water resources.

"The chances of a dry winter are still quite high and that would certainly raise the possibility that we would have to consider restrictions in the summer."