WATER is being made available to any homes in the region suffering supply issues due to the ongoing heatwave.
Dumfries and Galloway Council have now activated the emergency bottled water scheme.
A spokesman for the local authority said: “Water assistance is available through Dumfries and Galloway Council for householders on a private water supply affected by water scarcity due to the current weather conditions.
“The provision is for domestic premises, for personal use for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene. Please contact Environmental Health during working hours Monday – Thursday to make arrangements for the collection of bottled water.”
It comes after weather experts at the Eskdalemuir Observatory revealed that the mercury had hit 28.9 degrees celsius on Monday, making it the second ever hottest day reported in June.
That temperature was only bested by a single day in June 2018 when 29.7 degrees was recorded locally.
And the observatory team said the heat has been steadily climbing since a starting point of 14.2 degrees on June 1, with a notable jump above 20 degrees over the past six days.
The soaring temperatures have led schools in Dumfriesshire to relax their uniform policies and sent many flocking to the area’s beaches and forests to cool down.
Meanwhile, the lack of any significant rainfall recently is worrying officials at the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency (SEPA), who have put Dumfries and Galloway on alert for water scarcity.
The River Esk is of particular concern and was given a ‘moderate scarcity’ warning last Friday, while soil in the region has been classed as dry.
SEPA are expected to release a weekly update later today and it’s thought it will show a worsening water level situation.
