A fresh plea has been issued for people in Dumfries and Galloway to use water efficiently.
Scottish Water has issued the call after the average levels of reservoirs across the country fell by three per cent to 77 per cent – a tenth lower than the average for this time of year.
The hot, dry weather has seen demand for water increase by 20 per cent, resulting in an extra 150 million litres a day being put into the network.
Scottish Water spokesman Jes Juskowiak, 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.
“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.
“Water is always worth saving, so we would ask everyone to do all they can in and around the home and garden to help us keep water flowing normally to their taps.
Other water-saving tips include taking shorter showers, turning the tap off when brushing teeth, only using washing machines and dishwashers when full and using a bucket not hose to wash a car.
