Scots have been urged to use water ‘efficiently’ as the pressure on Scotland’s water network mounts during the ongoing heatwave.
Temperatures are expected to soar above 28C in some parts of the country in the coming days as the latest period of incredible sunshine enters into its second week.
But Scottish Water says that it is producing more than 200 million litres of extra water per day across the country, as the dry and hot spell puts strain on its service.
Water chiefs are now urging Scots to consider alternative to a number of water-heavy activities.
They advise that watering cans should be used to water the garden instead of hoses and sprinklers.
Scots are also being asked not to use jet washers and paddling pools, while washing machines and dishwashers should only be used when fully loaded.
Scottish Water says that it is working hard to maintain normal water supplies to areas that have seen an exponential increase in use.
Extra water is being supplied to East Neuk of Fife, Tighnabruaich and Portvadie, Waternish and Carbost, Fort Augustus, Orkney and Dornoch.
Additional river pumps and boreholes are being deployed on the Moray coast and additional boreholes are being brought online on Arran and in the Fort William area to maintain normal supplies.
Kes Juskowiak, Scottish Water’s Water Operations General Manager, said: “These are very challenging conditions because of the warm, dry weather we’ve been experiencing and the forecast for the coming days is for more of the same.
“Water levels in our reservoirs are at 74%. This is a fall from 77% last week and from 90% in late May.
“Current levels are below average for this time of year but the main issue is demand for water from customers, which has increased considerably during the warm weather. It’s not isolated to one group but rather is the result of how we all use water in warm weather, particularly in the garden.
“When garden water use increases dramatically, for things like sprinklers and paddling pools, that places considerable strain across our infrastructure to move the water as quickly as the customers need it.
“We are working hard to support the increase in tourism across our wonderful country, but we are asking all our customers to be more water efficient and aware of how the use water.
“If people across the country - residents and visitors or holidaymakers - can take some small, simple steps to reduce their water use, they can make a big contribution towards our efforts to maintain normal supplies for everyone and if we can reduce demand it will also be good for the environment as there will be fewer tankers on the roads.”
Scotland enjoyed its hottest day of the year over the weekend, as Threave in Dumfries and Galloway recorded a high of 28.2C on Saturday.
Experts are expecting that record to be broken over the coming days, with temperatures set to peak beyond 28C.
Thermostats across the country are expected to dip back down to normal climates over the weekend.
