A water shortage in Grantown-on-Spey has left dozens of households without a reliable supply for more than two weeks.
More than 20 homes with private supplies are affected, as one of the driest springs since the 1960s and the hottest summer on record take their toll.
Highland Council has offered bottled water in collaboration with Scottish Water and the Scottish Government, but supplies must be collected from Inverness, a 70-mile round trip.
The council said it has delivered water to households meeting criteria for assistance and is urging anyone worried about their private supply running low to contact its service centre. Grants of up to £800 per home are also available for improvement works.
Resident Jonathan Preston told STV News: “When you buy a house with a private water supply, you’re taking on board that responsibility and you’re not paying council tax, which goes through to Scottish Water, so you’re saving on that.
“I can see it from their point of view that they would argue we’re not paying for any water, so it’s up to us to sort it out.”
He said he was willing to spend several hundred pounds to bring in a 1,000-litre delivery from Nairn if needed.
Fellow resident Sarah Atkinson said vulnerable neighbours are at particular risk.
“I think for people who are elderly and infirm, it’s going to be very difficult for them to cope with this,” she said.
“They will require a lot of additional assistance and help. They cannot be expected to lift 25-litre drums of water to fill cisterns.
“Long term, I think those people will require some form of intervention, some form of support and help.”
She also warned that the situation could become more common in the future.
Sarah added: “We are seeing a run of hotter, drier summers and drier winters, which leads to a shortage of water leading into summer.
“The effects of global warming? Perhaps we need to look at these indicators and perhaps we need to start taking care of our planet.”
Grantown faced similar problems during the 2018 heatwave, when Highland Council delivered bottled water directly to affected households.
This year’s shortages follow the driest spring since the 1960s and the hottest summer on record.
Scottish Water, which is not responsible for the affected private supplies, declined to comment.
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