Thousands of Scots have received written water saving appeals including requests to take short showers instead of baths as concerns increase over supplies in the heatwave.

Scottish Water has taken the decision to write directly to households in areas where there is concern to appeal to them to use water wisely while 'significant water scarcity' warnings have been introduced in parts of the north east of Scotland and Fife.

It comes as the Scottish Environment Protection Agency has revealed that some river flows have been at their lowest for 40 years.

The letters have gone out in Moray, Banff and Buchan, Dornoch, Nairn, Arran, Orkney mainland, the Kyle of Sutherland, Dumfries and Galloway, Portree and Lochalsh and the Isle of Lewis.

Water is continuing to be delivered by tanker to some areas such as Arran where there is a need for additional supplies.

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Up to 30 tankers a day are being deployed across Scotland during the period of dry weather.

The tankers are able to carry up to 30,000 litres of water and will be sent to areas when needed.

Scottish Water said usage levels had increased in some areas by 30% and an additional 140 million litres were being pushed through its system each day.

A Scottish Water spokesman said: "We are asking people across Scotland to use water wisely, but have written directly to customers in [some] areas to ask them to take some simple steps to help us maintain supplies."

The messages that have landed on people's doormats urge customers to take simple water efficiency measures to "help to ensure continued supply to homes and businesses".

They also include using a bucket of water instead of a hose to wash a car or only washing windscreens and headlights and brakelights.

They call for a watering can instead of a hose to be used in watering gardens and plants.

Consumers are asked only to use washing machines or dishwashers when fully loaded.

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And they tell users to turn off taps when brushing teeth and shaving.

A Scottish Water spokesman added: “We are closely monitoring water levels across the country and taking steps such as tankering water to where it’s needed most and taking water from sources we don’t normally use to ensure there is no impact on customers’ supplies.

“We’d like to thank customers for following advice to use water wisely by doing things like using a watering can rather than a hose to water plants or wash the car and we’re pleased to report that this is helping. We’d urge everyone to use water wisely.”

The latest Sepa study on water scarcity says that river levels were "very low" across the country, particularly across the north, north east and south west. Sepa said that low river levels were "putting stress" on river plants, fish and other animals.

Loch and reservoir storage has fallen again following a "brief recharge". The River Devron and River Ythan in north east Scotland are at their driest since for forty years. The river catchments expanding along the Moray Firth as far as the Black Isle are subject of a 'significant scarcity' warning due to evidence of drying channels. Part of the east coast between Montrose and the East Neuk of Fife is also now in the “extremely dry” category.

The river Spey has reached "exceptionally low levels" with flows in the river at their lowest for 34 years.

Water levels in North Highland, the rest of north east Scotland, north Fife, Angus, West Galloway and Girvan have been given a 'moderate scarcity' classification.

Alerts are also in place for the rest of Ayrshire, Solway, Orkney, Shetland, the Western Isles, the Tay, West Highland and the Lothian areas.

Groundwater levels had started to fall more quickly and in Aberdeenshire some levels were classed as the lowest for at least the last 10 years.

Sepa said there are no areas where normal public water supplies have been affected yet, but there has been an increase in water usage levels.

A Sepa spokesman said: "Dry weather has continued to dominate this week, but patchy rain spells have occurred across much of the country, although very limited in eastern regions. Any rainfall experienced has not been sufficient to alleviate the widespread water scarcity situation and this is forecast to continue for the week ahead.

"River levels have been very low right across the country for quite some time now. Some rivers, particularly in the north and northeast, have been at very low flows for almost a month. Such a prolonged period of very low flows is unusual.

"We are monitoring the situation closely and coordinating steps to manage water resources in line with Scotland's National Water Scarcity Plan."