Water scarcity alert issued for parts of the Highlands

Scotland's situation bureau has issued its archetypal alert level informing of this twelvemonth astir h2o scarcity.

It follows precise debased stream flows being recorded astir Loch Maree successful Wester Ross.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the availability of h2o successful the country had been affected by warm, adust weather.

It has urged businesses that usage h2o from streams and rivers to trim what they take.

Hydro-electric schemes, distilleries, farms and play courses are among the types of businesses that abstract water.

The adust conditions person besides prompted the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service to contented a informing of a precise precocious wildfire hazard successful ample parts of Scotland until Monday.

Sepa categorises h2o scarcity successful 4 levels - aboriginal warning, alert, mean scarcity and important scarcity.

Areas successful confederate and cardinal Scotland, and the bulk of the northbound including the Western Isles, are astatine aboriginal informing level.

Head of h2o and planning, Nathan Critchlow-Watton, said: "With precise small to nary rainfall forecast crossed Scotland successful the coming days, we expect crushed conditions to proceed getting drier and stream flows to alteration oregon stay low.

"The adjacent fewer weeks and months are a important clip of twelvemonth for h2o request and we're urging abstractors to negociate h2o wisely, minimising the request for restrictions to beryllium imposed by Sepa."