Scots are being warned to avoid watering lawns to save water
Scottish Water is calling on the public to let their grass go brown as a precaution
Scottish Water is repeating its call on the public to use water efficiently as they witness reservoir levels fall below average.
Its warning comes as temperatures have been soaring across the country for days.
The company has seen domestic demands increase by 20 per cent in the last period.
This led Scottish Water to increase the amount of water it puts into the network by 150 million litres per day.
They are now asking the public to let their grass go brown and use a watering can instead of a garden hose.
They also suggest taking shorter showers and using fully loaded washing machines only to save some water.
Extraordinary measures
Some rural locations, including Kippen and Killin in west Stirlingshire, are being supported by tankers to supplement normal water supplies due to increased peak water use.
Kes Juskowiak, Scottish Water’s General Manager of Customer Water Services, said: “We’re working hard to maintain normal supplies for all but would again ask that customers consider how they use water and to protect this precious resource.
“We believe that a large part of the additional water use is within gardens so we would ask that customers are mindful of how much water they use in outdoor spaces such as lawns.
He added: “One tip would be for customers to let their garden lawns go brown during the dry weather because its appearance will be temporary and it will recover, but not watering lawns will help save significant amounts of water.”
Speaking to us, Media Manager Keith Sinclair said: “An increase in domestic demand is not unexpected when the weather is warm and dry, people are doing things around the home and garden that can consume more water.
“But we're asking people to think carefully about their water use and to use it more efficiently.
"If there is no rainfall then we will face more challenges and the public can help us by taking our advice about how to use water more efficiently,” he added.