So will water supplies start to dry up in parts of Scotland this week?
Eastern areas in ‘critical’ state as levels hit lowest mark since 2009
A DROUGHT warning has been issued for Scotland as bone-dry Britain saw its first hosepipe ban declared today.
Rivers are running dry and reservoirs have seen levels drop significantly as the unusually dry summer creates tinderbox conditions across Britain.
Parts of Scotland could face ‘significant’ water scarcity by next week, the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA) has warned.
At least 17million homes in England are facing hosepipe bans after Southern Water announced it was taking drastic action because of parched rivers and soaring demand in one of the driest years on record.
Anyone who flouts the ban faces a potential fine of up to £1,000.
Other suppliers have warned they may need to act, including Thames Water, South East Water, and part of the area covered by Welsh Water.
Businesses in Scotland have also been told they could have their licenses to abstract water suspended amid the drought.
It comes after Scotland experienced its hottest ever day last week as temperatures spoared to almost 35C (95F) on the back of months without rain.
The East of the country has been particularly affected, with groundwater levels the lowest since records began in 2009.
Head of Water and Planning at SEPA Nathan Critchlow-Watton, said: ‘Water resources are critical in the east, with conditions not expected to improve in the short term. Even where there has been some rainfall and an immediate increase in river flows, the areas still remain vulnerable due to longer term rainfall deficits and very dry ground conditions.’
The Met Office said it has been the driest July since 1911 and is forecasting that much of the country will continue to be ‘drier than average’ next month with temperatures higher than usual.
Several rivers have run dry, while reservoirs have seen their levels drop by 3 per cent in a week, down to 83 per cent.
This was visible in Edinburgh, where boats sat on the dried-up bed of Threpmuir Reservoir.
In Glasgow, a drought led to the boating lake at Knightswood Park losing almost half its water.
In Perth and Kinross, SEPA launched a probe into a dried-up river near to a hydropower station at the Falls of Bruar. By next week mid and north Fife is expected to hit ‘significant’ water scarcity, meaning SEPA can suspend licenses for water abstraction.
Catchment areas around the Tweed will also be upgraded to ‘moderate’ scarcity, joining areas around River Ythan, Dee, Don, Almond, Tyne as well as the Firth of Forth and Firth of Tay.
Southern Water said parched rivers and soaring demand means it will enforce a hosepipe ban from next Friday.
And other major water companies have hinted they may follow suit if the hot weather continues.
Alison Hoyle, director of risk and compliance at Southern Water, said: ‘We’re experiencing one of the driest years on record for over a century and we’ve seen record temperatures. River flows are approximately 25 per cent lower than they should be for July, which is equivalent to losing more than 25 million bathtubs of water.’
Earlier this week, the government hosted an emergency drought meeting with farmers, water companies and other stakeholders to coordinate measures.
A spokesman for the NFU said: ‘There are challenges for farmers needing to irrigate field veg and potatoes.’
NFU Scotland has now encouraged farmers to ‘irrigate when, and only as much as, absolutely necessary’.