SCOTTISH Water is urging Borderers to use water wisely to help maintain supplies while the country basks in a prolonged heatwave.

Following a sustained dry period without any significant rainfall, customer usage for water has increased significantly.

With the current warm weather conditions forecast to continue, Scottish Water bosses are encouraging people to take simple but important steps to conserve public water supplies.

In some areas there has been a 30 percent increase in demand for water during the summer so far and an additional 140 million litres are currently being produced and pushed through the system every day to meet current customer usage.

Scottish Water has been monitoring the situation closely and are managing supplies across the country, including deploying additional resources to move water between distribution areas and tankering water to supplement local networks.

Some water treatment works and distribution networks are also working at near capacity to meet demand.

Average reservoir levels are generally normal for this time of year, but the current level of usage and continuing dry weather means stocks of stored water available for use are reducing.

The main advice for Borderers is to reduce water usage wherever possible. Businesses are also urged to consider their usage and how they can use water more efficiently.

Scottish Water are encouraging residents to do the following: taking shorter showers, using a watering can rather than a hose to water plants, using a bucket rather than a hose to wash vehicles; only washing windscreens/lights instead of the whole vehicle, turning off taps in the home whenever possible, and using washing machines and dishwashers fully loaded.

Peter Farrer, Scottish Water’s chief operating officer, said: “Water usage levels during the current hot summer weather, particularly during peak times such as morning and early evening, mean we are working around the clock to get water around the system quickly enough.

“Scotland’s public water supply is the lifeblood of the country, for household and business customers. We usually supply more than 1.3 billion litres a day to customers.

“We have a strong and resilient distribution network to keep our customers supplied but we’re asking everyone to play their part in helping us as Scotland enjoys its hottest and driest summer in many years.

“By encouraging simple but important changes to how people use water over the coming days and weeks of dry, warm weather, this will make a big difference to the flow of water around the network and protect supplies.”

Further advice is available online at www.scottishwater.co.uk/savewaterscotland or by calling the customer helpline on 0800 0778778.

Businesses should speak to their licensed provider for advice.