Authorities in Scotland have issued a water scarcity warning across northern and eastern parts of the country, with businesses that abstract water advised to do so more efficiently.
In the latest report published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA), Wick and Thurso join eastern parts of the country to be issued 'Alert' level.
Water scarcity is a 'growing threat' across Scotland, as groundwater levels are falling and are very low at some monitoring locations, while river flows also remain low for this time of year.
The weather conditions in June have been dry across most of the country so far, with many areas seeing below average rainfall over the last three weeks.
In the latest report, the agency also said the south of Scotland, the Esk, Annan and Dee catchment areas had been raised to 'Early Warning' level.
This was due to a combination of dry ground conditions, low rainfall and low river flows.
SEPA said it was monitoring the situation and coordinating steps to manage water resources in line with Scotland's National Water Scarcity Plan.
Head of water at SEPA, Nathan Critchlow-Watton, said businesses, such as farms, could help by following the agency's advice on using water efficiently.
"There is still a broadly east-west split in the risk of water scarcity and we are continuing to monitor the situation closely," he explained.
"Earlier this year, SEPA warned that water scarcity conditions could deteriorate quickly if dry weather continues.
"We are seeing this happen across Scotland as warning levels increase and expand to more areas each week."
The latest report and information about Scotland’s water situation can be found on SEPA's website.
