Five areas of Scotland have now been placed at the highest level alert for water scarcity, as people are being urged to be careful about their water usage.
The Rivers Annan, Nith, the Black Isle and the Outer Hebrides are now in a “significant” water scarcity situation along with the Loch Maree area, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has said.
The authority added this is due to prolonged “extremely low” river flows in the areas.
It comes after the country experienced a drier-than-normal winter and spring, and what is forecast to be Scotland’s hottest June on record.
Meanwhile, the Esk area in Dumfriesshire has been dropped down to moderate scarcity, alongside the Nairn, Findhorn, Spey and Dee catchments.
Water levels across the majority of Argyll and Bute have also dropped down to early warning levels.
SEPA said that it understands the impacts on businesses facing these challenging conditions and is working to avoid full suspensions on abstractions.
Where possible, measures to significantly reduce the volume of water taken from rivers and lochs will be implemented.
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