Free drinking water to be supplied to Moray homes running short

WITH some private water supplies running dry Moray Council is offering free bottles of drinking water for residents experiencing shortages.

The local authority has acted after the Scottish Environment Protection Agency sent out an alert that water levels in parts of Moray currently demonstrate a "significant scarcity".

A council spokesman said: "This would normally be something we would expect owners of private supplies to source themselves, but these are not normal circumstances.

"We are prioritising requests from those more vulnerable in the first instance. If any resident needs help, they should contact us. The Environmental Health Service will respond as quickly as possible."

Contact ehadmin@moray.gov.uk or phone 01343 563088 during office hours.

Collection times are from 8am-6pm on weekdays at the Moray Council annexe building in Elgin, and the Speyside Community Centre in Aberlour from 10am-9pm on Monday to Wednesday, 1pm-9pm on Thursday and Friday, and 10am- 4pm on Saturday.

Scottish Government funding has been made available to local authorities and Scottish Water to ensure the emergency supplies of bottled water are provided.

There are more than 800 private water supplies in Moray, serving approximately 4825 properties.

Long-term, grants may be available for remote communities to connect to the mains supply.