Abstraction and hosepipe bans in Scotland and the Irish Republic

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has imposed suspensions on water abstraction licences in three more areas on the eastern side of the country because river levels have hit scarcity levels.

SEPA is suspending most water abstraction licences in the Tyne catchment in East Lothian, River Ythan catchment in Aberdeenshire, and the Lower Tweed area in the Borders. However, suspensions have been lifted in the Upper Tweed.

The regulator insisted the suspensions were necessary to protect the sustainability of local water environments following weeks of prolonged dry weather and critically low river and groundwater levels.

Meanwhile, on the side of the Irish Sea, Irish Water has announced its first hosepipe ban of the summer in County Cork, with others at risk as water levels hit historic lows. Around 40,000 households in western Cork are covered by the ban.

Irish Water is also warning that other parts of the country, particularly in counties Wexford, Galway, Tipperary, and Kerry, need interventions such as tankering and pressure reduction to keep taps running.