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I Care! Join Carers Week campaign

Ask your MP to support carers this Carers Week

Dear supporter,

This Carers Week, we’re calling for greater UK Government support for unpaid carers.

To raise awareness of Carers Week and our campaign, please click the button below and take a couple of minutes to write to your local MP to ask them to support our campaign for greater cross-Government action in support of carers.

We have provided a template letter and ask that you add your own personal experience of caring to this, before sending it. Please forward any response you receive from your MP to policy@carersuk.org so that we can follow up with them, if you are happy to do so.

Click here to write to your MP:

https://technology-trust-news.org/15AY-8B1GO-9R7IOT-55U34F-1/c.aspx

Thank you in advance for your support and for taking part in Carers Week 2023!

Best wishes,

The Carers Week team

19 million people in the UK have provided unpaid care – but haven’t identified as a carer

Polling shows nearly three quarters of people (73 per cent) who currently provide unpaid care, or have provided care in the past, have never identified as or called themselves a carer
Eight million people who have provided unpaid care have also seen their health and wellbeing suffer
Seven charities supporting Carers Week call for cross-Government action and a funded National Carers Strategy

Carers UK, along with six charities, carried out the polling of the general public to coincide with the start of Carers Week. They found that 73% of people in the UK who are providing, or have provided, unpaid care in their lifetime – roughly 19 million people – have not identified themselves as a carer.

The polling also suggests eight million people (31 per cent) in the UK with experience of providing care have seen their health and wellbeing suffer.

The findings demonstrate the need for Government and all areas of society to play a role in supporting millions of people to identify their caring role and get help.

The polling reveals that the vast majority of carers could be missing out on important information, support or advice that could make a real difference to their day-to-day lives.

Nearly half of those who took longer to identify themselves as a carer (46%) said they missed out on financial support as a result of not knowing they were a carer, and 35% missed out on practical support.

This lack of support can leave unpaid carers isolated; unable to take breaks from caring, struggling to look after their physical and mental health, stay in work or education, or manage financially.

Helen Walker, Chief Executive of Carers UK commenting on behalf of the Carers Week charities said: “The fact that the large majority of people who have cared for a friend or family member in the UK haven’t identified or called themselves a carer shows that there is so much to be done to raise awareness of unpaid care and its impact on individuals, whether that be to their finances or physical or mental health.

“Eight million people with experience of care seeing their health suffer is concerning and shows the need for targeted action to support carers.

“Healthcare professionals, employers and wider society have an important responsibility to help people with caring responsibilities get the right support when they need it.

“The Government needs to show that it recognises and values unpaid carers by stepping up cross-government action to support them, alongside a funded National Carers Strategy.”

Providing care is a common experience – the polling shows that 50 per cent of the public have at some point in their life provided unpaid care to a family member or friend with a disability, illness, mental health condition or who needs extra help as they grow older.

The YouGov Poll found that women are significantly more likely to be providing unpaid care than men and are more likely to identify as or call themselves a carer.

People providing unpaid care often fail to identify their caring role because they see themselves primarily as a family member or friend, or the process of taking on a caring role is very gradual as the condition of the person being cared for deteriorates over time. Other barriers include carers being too busy to realise the role they’re undertaking, or not feeling like the amount of support being provided is enough to be identified as a carer.

They may be missing out on Carer’s Allowance, the main benefit for those caring 35 hours or more each week and earning under £139, support from their local council to take a break, or practical support from their local carer organisation.

Running from 5 June to 11 June, the charities supporting Carers Week 2023 are Carers UK, Age UK, Carers Trust, MND Association, Rethink Mental Illness, Oxfam GB and The Lewy Body Society.

Together, they are calling on Government for better recognition of unpaid carers across society so that they can access the vital support they need to carry out their caring role.

Omni Centre death: Murder inquiry launched

A murder inquiry has been launched following the death of a 30-year-old man in Edinburgh.

Around 7.45pm on Friday, 2 June, 2023, officers were called to a report of a disturbance on Leith Street near to the junction with Greenside Row.

Edinburgh man Peter Mullen, 30, suffered serious injuries and was taken by ambulance to Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, where he died a short time later.

Following a post mortem examination, his death is being treated as murder. His relatives are aware and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Enquiries have so far revealed a number of people were involved in the disturbance and a 41-year-old man was also taken to hospital for treatment.

A 46-year-old woman has been arrested and charged in connection with a minor assault. She is expected to appear before Edinburgh Sheriff Court at a later date and a report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Detective Chief Inspector John Morrison said: “Our thoughts are very much with Peter’s family and friends at this very difficult time.

“We have a dedicated team of officers working on this investigation and I would like to reassure the local community that everything is being done to trace the person responsible.

“Extensive enquiries are ongoing and officers are continuing to gather CCTV footage from the surrounding area.

“We are aware that the area was busy at the time of the incident and we are again encouraging anyone who may have seen or heard a disturbance, to please get in touch.

“We have set up a website that gives members of the public access to a form to send information directly to us.

“Anyone with any CCTV, dashcam or any other footage that they think would assist the enquiry can also send this via this link.

“You can select to remain anonymous when submitting information.

“I’d like to thank the public for their assistance so far and ask anyone with information who hasn’t already spoken with officers to please call 101 quoting incident number 4094 of 2 June, 2023.

“Alternatively, please call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information can be given completely anonymously.

“We have set up a link to our Major Incident Public Portal (MIPP) that allows members of the public to send information directly to the public.”

The MIPP can be accessed here:

https://mipp.police.uk/operation/SCOT23S24-PO1

Johnnie Walker Princes Street launch collab with two Michelin-starred team

Johnnie Walker Princes Street is set to serve up a new culinary sensation for Scotland with STIR – a ground-breaking cocktail and cuisine concept in partnership with two Michelin-starred team Chef James Close and his wife, Head of Pastry, Maria Close, owners of the renowned global experience restaurant, Raby Hunt.

James and Maria’s unique menu of stunningly innovative small-bite plates are served alongside meticulously curated cocktails from Johnnie Walker Princes Street Head Bartender, Miran Chauhan, in a collaboration that aims to completely redefine the concept of whisky and food pairing.

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Each cocktail offers a unique story with a focus on flavour, that will be shared with the guests during their experience.

From a Hedgerow Aquavit, created from foraging for berries nearby the Glenkinchie distillery, to a Cliff Edge Vermouth, using botanicals from the Four Corners of Scotland distilleries, Miran has embraced new techniques to capture each guest’s attention by bringing the whiskies into a new light.

Known for their new age approach to fine dining and storytelling through micro dishes, Chefs James and Maria Close have created six small bites, to match the cocktails, with layers of luminous flavour and textures to delight.

Guests can expect a culinary showcase of unexplored food combinations, from rich, umami intensity within the Aguachile Oyster bite, to soft, sweet indulgence within the Green Apple.

STIR features three flights:

The Four Corners Cocktail Flight takes guests on a beautiful journey exploring the Four Corners of Scotland distilleries, Glenkinchie (Lowlands), Cardhu (Speyside), Clynelish (Highlands) and Caol Ila (Islands), with each one integral to blending Johnnie Walker whisky. The combination is a complete experience carefully curated to highlight the landscape of the distillery, with locally grown and foraged ingredients from the naturally occurring flora and fauna.

The Seasonal Cocktail Flight allows guests to take a short trip, experiencing a rotation of exclusive whiskies and seasonal ingredients, selected by the Johnnie Walker Princes Street team. The Spring Season highlights the unique Johnnie Walker Princes Street Spring blend.

The Johnnie Walker Blue Label Cocktail Flight is an opportunity to savour this iconic whisky in an unexpected way. The cocktail is paired with the most exquisite small bite, a luxurious moment of indulgence for Johnnie Walker Blue Label connoisseurs.

Miran Chauhan, Head Bartender at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, said: ‘We see STIR as the portal to a new world of whisky and food combinations, in the heart of Edinburgh at Johnnie Walker Princes Street.

“James and I have a shared obsession for flavours and techniques and together we’ve created an enticing and highly original taste experience for everyone to enjoy.”

James Close, two Michelin-starred-Chef of Raby Hunt Restaurant, said: “We approached this challenge with the same energy and enthusiasm as we always do, creating a set of signature dishes that derive from a single ingredient, inspired by a global adventure.

“And then just like Miran does with his cocktails, we bring layers and textures together to tell a unique story through taste.”

Back in Edinburgh for the collaboration, James is returning to the capital after living in Scotland as a young man, when he worked in the menswear department of House of Fraser, in the very building that is now Johnnie Walker Princes Street Edinburgh.

Reservations for STIR are available now and can be made online at johnniewalkerprincesstreet.com from 17:30PM, Wednesday – Saturday.

Multi-award winning, Johnnie Walker Princes Street, is the centrepiece of Diageo’s £185million pound investment in Scotch whisky tourism in Scotland – the largest single investment programme of its kind ever seen in Scotch whisky tourism.

Offering more than 800 flavour combinations, unique immersive tours and breath-taking views of the Edinburgh skyline, one person could visit Johnnie Walker Princes Street every day for more than two years still and not have the same experience twice.

Committed to delivering new experiences for guests, every season STIR will evolve the menu to suit the season, with a twist on the Seasonal Cocktail Flight, as the cocktail and small bite influenced by the limited-edition Johnnie Walker Princes Street blend of whisky, changes with the time of year.

Jurica Gojevic, Food and Beverage Manager at Johnnie Walker Princes Street, says: “What makes James’ success so remarkable is that he is completely self-taught and has a curiosity for international ingredients.

“I knew his innovative approach would perfectly match Miran’s unorthodox methods to mixology and give us an opportunity to truly push the boundaries of flavour and fun with a one-of-a-kind menu.

“Through STIR we’re creating something totally unexpected and delivering an unforgettable experience for our guests at Johnnie Walker Princes Street.”

Healthy Heart Tip: Check your Cheese!

Heart Research UK Healthy Heart Tip, written by the Health Promotion and Education Team at Heart Research UK

Healthy Heart Tip: Check your Cheese

Here in the UK, the 4^th of June is National Cheese Day, a day dedicated to celebrating cheese. Cheese can form part of a healthy, balance diet as it is rich in protein and calcium which are both important nutrients to get from our diet. However, cheese is also a source of saturated fat and can be high in salt.

If we consume too much it can contribute to weight gain and poor cholesterol levels which can contribute to heart diseases. In this week’s healthy tip we look at the saturated fat content of cheeses, and suggest heart healthier alternatives for you to try.

How much cheese?

Including some cheese in your diet has health benefits, but it’s worth being mindful about the amount we consume. A 30g portion of cheese provides around 7% of your daily calories.

The trouble is we can very easily eat much more than this in one sitting. It’s a good idea to weigh your portions to make sure you don’t consume too much, particularly if you are consuming full fat varieties or are trying to lose weight. Try not to consume more than three 30g portions each day.

Low fat & fat free cheeses

Choosing low fat and fat free cheese options is a great way to reduce our saturated fat consumption whilst still enjoying the flavour and benefiting from the protein and calcium cheese has to offer.

Opt for fat free cottage cheese and reduced fat soft cheeses and hard cheeses like cheddar. Quark is a great option as its high in protein and much lower in fat than other soft cheeses.

Watch out for the salt

Some cheeses such as halloumi and feta can be very high in salt. It’s fine to consume these in moderation but try to find lower salt versions if possible, some supermarkets sell them.

Try to limit your consumption of these saltier cheeses to maybe one or two times a week.

For more tips on how to stay healthy, sign up for weekly healthy tips at:

www.heartresearch.org.uk/health-tips.

Edinburgh-based VPZ to launch UK-wide public vape recycling service

VPZ, the UK’s largest vaping retailer, has teamed up with WasteCare to launch a nationwide recycling service for vaping devices and e-cigarettes.

Vapes contain lithium batteries and plastic and when littered they can cause harm to the local environment.

VPZ in partnership with WasteCare is committed to tackling the problem head-on and has announced ambitions to responsibly recycle all kinds of vaping devices during 2023.

Doug Mutter, VPZ Director, said: “We believe this innovative service and intervention is vital in responding to an emerging environmental problem whilst educating vapers on the benefits of using reusable and more sustainable products.”

VPZ, the UK’s largest vaping retailer, has teamed up with the leading waste management provider, WasteCare, to launch a nationwide recycling service for vapes and e-cigarettes.

Vapes contain lithium batteries and plastic and when littered they can cause harm to the local environment.

Now, VPZ in partnership with WasteCare has announced ambitions to responsibly recycle all kinds of vaping devices during 2023.

The service is now live in the whole VPZ’s network of over 150 stores throughout the UK. The service is open to all vapers, as anyone can visit a store and dispose safely of their vaping devices or e-cigarettes. All recycling processes will be handled by WasteCare which will be responsible for safely collecting, treating, and recovering disposable vapes and reusable hardware devices from within its plant in Elland, West Yorkshire.

VPZ is the UK’s largest vaping specialist with over 150 stores throughout the country. The Edinburgh-based retailer and manufacturer has already helped over 700k smokers in the UK quit since it was established in 2012.

Director, Doug Mutter, believes the innovative recycling service will help clean up local environments throughout the country whilst educating vapers on being responsible and using more sustainable vaping products.

He said: “We are excited to be launching this ground-breaking service with WasteCare to respond to an emerging environmental issue.

“Any form of littering is unacceptable however the proliferation of disposable vape use has led to single-use devices being discarded in local environments.

“Our partnership with WasteCare responds to this challenge head on and vapers can come into our network of over 150 stores throughout the
country to recycle their vape devices, both disposable and reusable, in a safe and responsible way.

“Our service will also help us engage with adult smokers and vapers to educate them on the sustainable and environmental benefits of using
reusable products,” he added.

The WasteCare Group was established in 1980. Employing over 500 personnel across 17 regional Service Centres, the company is the UK’s largest independent recycling company specialising in recovering value from hazardous and challenging waste streams.

“With the growing demand for vapes and e-cigarettes, we are delighted that VPZ is leading the way in providing a safe and environmentally sound way to tackle what is becoming a major challenge,” explains Peter Hunt, Managing Director of Wastecare.

“WasteCare is the UK’s only permitted recycler of portable batteries.Every vape contains a lithium battery and our plant is designed to safely recover the precious material from the vaping device, as well as the metal and plastic components in it.”

VPZ continues to call on both the UK and Scottish Governments to introduce tighter controls and licensing for selling vaping products.

Director, Doug Mutter, said: “At the moment we have a challenge in the industry where many imported, unregulated, disposable vaping products are readily available from local convenience stores, supermarkets and several other general retailers with no age verification checks or control in place.

“This is an emerging problem that threatens the huge progress of vaping in transforming the health of the nation and helping the country meet it’s smoke-free targets.

“We are urging the UK Government to act now and follow best practices from countries like New Zealand, where flavoured products can only be sold from specialist licensed vaping stores. Thus, ensuring that an appropriate challenge 25 policy is in place and consultation is aimed towards adult smokers and vapers.”

Scottish Parliament creche reopens

This week the doors reopened to Holyrood’s crèche facility.

The crèche offers pre-school childcare provision for MSPs and staff who work in the building. It is also available to people with childcare responsibilities who are engaging with parliamentary business or with their MSPs, or who are visiting Holyrood, giving them the opportunity to have their children looked after in a safe and fun environment.

The Presiding Officer, the Rt Hon Alison Johnstone MSP, visited the crèche to meet staff and children.

The Presiding Officer said: “The Scottish Parliament was one of the first parliaments in Europe to offer childcare facilities of this kind for young children and I’m delighted that we’re once again able to offer this.

“The crèche is there to provide childcare to MSPs carrying out their duties, to all staff working in the Parliament, and to visitors giving evidence to our committees, touring the building or meeting their MSP.

“It’s important that the Parliament challenges itself to do all that we can to enable those with childcare responsibilities to work in, engage with and visit the Parliament.”

Hospital at Home: Home is where the heart is for doctor Latana Munang

A West Lothian doctor is leading the way in helping to build services across Scotland that allow people to be treated at home rather than hospital.

And with a strong sense of family firmly at the heart of Dr Latana Munang’s ethos, her role at Healthcare Improvement Scotland as National Clinical Lead for Hospital at Home, has given her a job with purpose.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland is supporting the development of Hospital at Home services which reduce hospital admissions for elderly patients by providing acute care in the comfort and familiarity of their own home. Latana brings her wealth of clinical experience to the role, supporting Hospital at Home services across the country to be established and to grow. Hospital at Home services now cover nearly every NHS board and health and social care partnership in Scotland.

Latana was born in Malaysia and came to the UK on a sixth form scholarship before gaining a place at Edinburgh University to study medicine. She spent a year in Singapore as part of her registrar training before returning to Scotland where she has remained ever since.

The mum-of-two began working at St John’s Hospital in Livingston in 2011 and has remained there since. She is currently a consultant working in general medicine and medicine of the elderly.

Latana said: “Growing up in Malaysia the family structure in Asian communities was very strong. When my granny became ill she moved in with us to be cared for and that was the norm.

“Differences in society and different pressures mean that’s not possible everywhere but I do think most people are happiest being at home with family when they are ill, if it’s an option, and I really enjoy being involved in how we can make that happen.”

Ten years ago Latana was a key figure in setting up Hospital at Home in West Lothian and she remains as committed today as then to “push the boundaries in providing the best possible care for the frail and elderly”.

Latest figures show the Hospital at Home programme has seen an increase of 68% in the number of patients. The amount of areas where Hospital at Home is an option for patients has also more than doubled.

Latana said: “Sometimes people are admitted to hospital as they feel there’s no other safe alternative, but actually for older and frail patients if it’s possible to stay in the security and familiarity of home that can be best for them.

“With Hospital at Home we have a visit at the beginning to see what needs to be organised for each patient. In many cases we are able to cut out unnecessary procedures that would have been done routinely in hospital when we consider how much more complicated it would be to do from home, as we sometimes realise they’re not needed.

“Hospital at Home is a true generalist service where on occasion we’ve had nurses change a lightbulb to prevent someone falling or check for out of date food in patient’s homes.

“Seeing people in their own homes gives us a different perspective and empowers them to feel their wishes and choices are being fully respected.”

For Latana and her husband Phil Buchan, whom she met at university, and their two children Leo (11) and Zola (9) home is Linlithgow. Latana said: “It’s a great place to live, it’s really family friendly with a strong sense of community.

“Spending time in other countries has made me appreciate the NHS and I’m lucky to be in a role that I feel so passionate about.”

Scottish Government ‘back-sliding’ on oil and gas, says FoE Scotland

Environmental campaigners have warned the Scottish Government that it risks ‘back-sliding’ on oil and gas after comments by the Cabinet Secretary for Net Zero Màiri McAllan.

The Scottish Government is currently consulting on taking a position to oppose all new licences and phase out existing licences ahead of their economic life, in the draft Energy Strategy.

Previously Màiri McAllan said the Scottish Government did not agree with new oil and gas licences, and yet in recent comments attributed to the Cabinet Secretary said it would be “wrong” to stop future activity in the North Sea.

In a move that has been widely welcomed by climate groups, UK Labour this week said that if it was to lead the next UK Government it would block new all new oil and gas developments.

The International Energy Agency, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, the UN Secretary-General and the Governments of Denmark, France, Sweden, Wales and Ireland have all agreed with the need to end new oil and gas to secure a safe climate future.

Friends of the Earth Scotland’s head of campaigns Mary Church said: “Scotland is literally burning, with what may be the UK’s biggest wildfire on record, and yet the Scottish Government appears to be back-sliding on its commitment to phasing out oil and gas to protect the climate.

“In November last year, Màiri McAllan said the Government didn’t agree with the UK handing out new oil and gas licences. In the intervening months the climate crisis has only got worse with more extreme weather and ever greater human cost, yet now the Cabinet Secretary seems to be talking up future activity in the North Sea.

“Every new barrel of oil worsens the crisis and fuels the fire whilst taking us further away from a fair and fast transition to renewable energy. Standing up to greedy oil companies and setting an end date for oil and gas extraction this decade is an essential part of planning for a just transition for workers and communities currently dependent on the industry.

“It will provide certainty for the sector, making it clear that investing in renewables is the only choice for our energy future, and enabling workforce planning.”

Is the Scottish economy really growing at FOUR times the rate of the UK?

The big political news of the week in Scotland was undoubtedly the further disputes about the Scottish Government’s troubled Deposit Return Scheme (writes Fraser of Allander Institute’s MAIRI SPOWAGE).

This followed the decision by the UK Government to allow the scheme in Scotland to proceed, granting a “temporary and limited” exemption from the Internal Market Act, but only if the Scottish scheme excluded glass – and therefore include PET plastic, aluminium and steel cans only.

The justification from the UK government’s point of view is that the exemption is temporary only until UK-wide schemes are introduced (planned to be in 2025); and that the exemption does not include glass because the scheme that the UK Government are planning to introduce does not include glass.

The Scottish Government have made it clear, through a statement by the responsible Minister Lorna Slater on Tuesday, that this may mean that the scheme as designed in Scotland is not viable. The SG are now examining the implications of how and if the scheme can proceed on this basis.

If the decision by the SG was to scrap the scheme, or even to proceed without glass, there are likely to be calls for significant compensation for the businesses who have invested money to comply with the scheme, including the glass elements.

This is not just an issue about DRS, or actually about Scotland. Wales had also planned to introduce a similar scheme, also including glass, and Mark Drakeford intervened yesterday to say that he would “dispute the use of the internal market for these purposes”, flagging that the UK Government had also initially planned to include glass in their scheme.

This row is now firmly in the area of constitutional grievance, with both the Welsh and Scottish Governments accusing the UK Government of meddling in devolved areas. We await to see how the Scottish Government will respond, but it is likely to include significant condemnation of the UK government no matter which course of action is chosen.

More questions over the cost of the National Care Service

While the fate of the National Care Service overall is uncertain, despite the new First Minister reiterating his commitment to the idea in recent weeks, there have been further exchanges between the Finance and Public Administration Committee at Holyrood and the Minister responsible Maree Todd.

In a letter published on Tuesday, the acting convener Michael Marra MSP has outlined the displeasure of the committee at not being given any more details of the costs of the scheme, given the formal role that this Committee has in scrutinising Financial Memorandums which accompany legislation and the fact they had formally requested more information after what they saw as an inadequate first draft.

A deadline of 21^st June for the Minister to respond – watch this space for updates!

Scotland’s economy growing faster than the UK in recent months

This week the Scottish Government published monthly data for March, which also meant they published the first estimate of quarterly growth for Scotland. This showed that Scotland had grown 0.4% in the four months to March, compared to 0.1% for the UK as a whole.

This led to headlines saying “Scottish economy grows at four times rate of the UK” and the like.

As folks who comment a lot on this sort of data, our heart sinks a little when seeing the growth figures being described like this. Yes, 0.4 is 4 times the size of 0.1. (Although to be technical, the figures are actually 0.13 and 0.36 – so not quite). But headlines like this somewhat exaggerate the meaning of such a difference in a quarterly figure and what it tells us about economic performance in Scotland vs the UK.

Digging under the data, the differences mainly come from the figures from March itself, where we see a contraction in the UK figure – driven by a contraction in consumer-facing services. It is really interesting to see these services in Scotland holding up a bit better, at least according to this first estimate of monthly growth.

	Scotland	UK
Monthly growth to March	0.0%	-0.3%
Quarterly growth to March	0.4%	0.1%
Annual Growth to March	2.1%	1.9%
Growth since pre-pandemic level (Feb 2020)	1.2%	0.1%
Growth over the last 5 years	1.6%	2.6%
Growth over the last 10 years	9.8%	15.5%

If we look over the last year, Scotland still performs better – growing at 2.1% compared to 1.9% at the UK level. Although, we should all be aware that such differences could change as data get revised.

Over the longer term, we can see that growth in Scotland has been more muted – driven partly by the oil price shock in 2015/16, and also over the medium term in the differences in population growth in Scotland compared to the UK average.

We’ll continue to dig under these data to understand more about differential economic performance in Scotland and the UK!

Summer has definitely arrived over the last week, and I’m sure we won’t be the only ones cracking out the barbeque this weekend. Enjoy the sunshine (with the factor 50 on, of course)!

Majority of Scotland now affected by water scarcity

Businesses extracting water urged to manage water wisely as the country continues to experience warm, dry weather.
The risk of water scarcity in the Loch Maree area has increased to Moderate Scarcity.
12 areas in the Northwest and Southern Central region have been raised to Alert.
Most of the rest of Scotland is now at Early Warning for Water Scarcity.
Businesses extracting water are being urged to put their water scarcity plans into action now to reduce pressure on the environment and preserve water resources.
Little rain is forecast for the next few weeks, and the water scarcity situation is expected to escalate quickly.
The public can help to monitor impact on the environment.

Below average rainfall for May has led to a deteriorating water scarcity situation across Scotland, with the Loch Maree area in the Highlands moving from Alert level to Moderate Scarcity.

The area has now reached the second highest risk level, as shown in the weekly report published by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) on Thursday 1st June 2023.

In addition, the lack of rain and increasingly dry ground conditions means 12 areas in the Northwest and Southern Central region are now experiencing in Alert level.

Most of the rest of the country is now at Early Warning, with North Aberdeenshire the only area that remains at Normal Conditions for the time being.

The risk of water scarcity is categorised in four levels – Early Warning, Alert, Moderate Scarcity and Significant Scarcity.

Low rainfall and more dry weather to come

Scotland received only 44% of the long-term average rainfall across the country in May. With little rainfall forecast in the next week across Scotland, in the coming weeks the situation could escalate quickly, and extend across a much wider area.

The Loch Maree area in the Highlands has recorded prolonged extremely low river flows. The surrounding areas of the Northwest Highlands, extending down to Loch Ness, are also experiencing very low river levels so have moved to Alert level.

Areas in the Southern Central region that have increased to Alert level include the Clyde, parts of Dumfries and Galloway, and South Lanarkshire.

Head of Water and Planning at SEPA, Nathan Critchlow-Watton, said: “The water scarcity picture in Scotland is just one of the consequences of climate change the country faces, and its frequency and severity is only likely to increase in the future. This is a crucial time of year for water demand, but with no rain in the forecast we cannot rule out needing to impose restrictions over the summer.

“Abstractors must manage water wisely in the coming weeks and months and should already have contingency plans in place in case restrictions are needed to avoid long-term damage to the environment and fish populations

“All of us have a responsibility in managing our water environment, this summer and beyond. By using water efficiently, businesses can increase their resilience to the impacts of prolonged dry conditions and save money.”

Advice for abstractors to manage water wisely

Check SEPA’s website and regular water scarcity reports so you are aware of the water situation in your area.
Regularly check your abstraction equipment to make sure it’s in good condition and fix any leaks straight away.
Where possible, reduce the volume and rate of your abstractions.
Have a contingency plan if suspensions are put in place:

Have you any stored water available? 

Can you switch to an alternative source, if available within your current authorisation? 

Can you temporarily switch to ground water? 

Work together with neighbours and stagger abstractions to make best use of available water.

Nathan Critchlow-Watton added: “We want to work with businesses to plan their water usage long-term so that we can preserve this vital resource as effectively as possible. Not only will that protect Scotland’s rivers and lochs, but it will minimise business risks as well.

“In the meantime, by taking the right steps now, abstractors can help make water supplies last as long as possible through this period.”

Further advice and support is available at www.sepa.org.uk/waterscarcity.

Help SEPA assess water scarcity stress

SEPA continually assess the impacts of prolonged periods of drier than average weather on our environment, but with many people out enjoying good weather there are opportunities for the public to help. If dry weather continues, as it is expected to, the areas affected will grow.

People can help by reporting dry private water supplies and rivers and burns in their area – especially if there are photographs that will help show the conditions. Distressed or dead fish or invertebrates, large numbers of dead plants on parts of the riverbed that are rarely exposed and a lot of exposed algae over 100s of metres, combined with very low flows are also important to know about.

This will help provide the best possible understanding of the impacts of dry weather.

Information can be sent to lowflowimpacts@sepa.org.uk

More information about what is helpful, as well as an explanation of how SEPA may use photographs is available on the agency’s website at Water scarcity in your area | Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)