SCOTTISH Television's long-running soap Take the High Road has been

dropped. The ITV Network Centre said last night it would not commission

any more series.

There was anger from the Scottish management.

''We are very unhappy with the way Take the High Road has been treated

by the centre,'' said Ms Eileen Gallagher, director of broadcasting at

Scottish. ''After 13 years on air, the three months notice of

cancellation is absurdly short.''

The series chronicling life in the village of Glendarroch, filmed on

Loch Lomondside at Luss, has had a loyal following not only in Scotland

but in all the network regions of the UK.

The series has more than 30 actors, a team of writers and film crew.

Its loss will be a jobs blow to the television industry. The programme

has also given a boost to the tourist industry.

More than 1000 episodes have been produced. In England, where it is

shown in the afternoon, it attracts a substantial audience of up to

three million viewers.

''ITV is a UK-wide network but its three remaining drama serials are

now all set in England -- two in the north (Coronation Street and

Emmerdale Farm) and The Bill in London,'' said Ms Gallagher.

''No region of ITV, even the largest, makes drama just for their own

area because of the very high cost. With under 10% of the ITV audience

living in Scotland it is particularly important that the centre

commissions drama programmes from Scotland.''

Scottish managing director Gus Macdonald said last night: ''Take the

High Road is by far the largest drama project ever undertaken in

Scotland. It has also been the most consistently popular. Scottish is

proud to have produced it and is particularly grateful to all the

talents that have made the series so special.''

Controller of drama, Mr Robert Love, who was responsible for creating

the series, said: ''When the series started in January, 1980, no one

would have expected it to still be going strong in 1993. It is a tribute

to the cast, the writers and the technicians involved that it has run

for so long.''

Actress Eileen McCallum, who has starred as Isobel Blair, the village

shop keeper, since episode one, said: ''It's particularly sad that this

should happen when the show has been going so well. It has always been a

very true representation of Scottish character and life and I think that

is what has attracted so many viewers, not only in Scotland but in

England as well.''

The series will come off English screens in the autumn but Scottish

will continue to show one episode per week until the end of the year.