Ayrshire has been warned of a potential water shortage, according to the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Despite expected rain over the weekend and into next week, SEPA are calling on businesses to pay urgent attention to the growing threat of water shortages and take action, as Ayrshire, along with the rest of Scotland, has now reached some level of scarcity.

SEPA forecasts that 28 out of 83 areas will be at 'significant' water scarcity level by 30th June 2023 if there is no recovery in river levels.

Some areas have reached 'significant' and 'moderate' scarcity- the two highest levels.

SEPA added that any further short periods of intense rain will be unlikely to help water levels recover sufficiently.

It follows a drier than average winter across most of the country, and a particularly dry May when Scotland received only 44 per cent of the long-term average rainfall.

SEPA has seen many examples of good practice and innovation, but the severity of the situation now means they must consider suspending abstraction licences in the coming week in the worst affected areas, including Dumfriesshire and other parts of the Southwest.

Engagement with businesses abstracting water from the environment has been ongoing to help build resilience and warn of the increasing likelihood of extreme weather events such as water scarcity.

Nathan Critchlow-Watton, head of water and planning at SEPA, said: "The situation is deteriorating fast, and we strongly urge those abstracting water from the environment to be aware of the immediate risk and follow our advice and guidance.

“Last year, we warned a decrease in summer rainfall may exert pressure on areas that have not experienced water scarcity before, and that’s now happening.

"It is vitally important that Scotland is prepared to deal with water scarcity both now and in the future and people work together to plan for and manage water scarcity events.”