Emergency supplies of bottled water have been distributed to the most vulnerable residents in Fife as thousands of homes continue to receive discoloured tap water.
Homes across the kingdom, including in Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy, Lochgelly, Methil, St Andrews and Newport-on-Tay have reported brown water running from their taps since Friday.
Scottish Water says the problem is due to sediment in the supply caused by increased public use during the dry weather.
The region is experiencing one of the driest periods in living memory, with little of no significant rainfall since March.
Scottish Water faced criticism for initially advising people to run cold water taps for up to two hours to help clear the discolouration then reversing its own advice to urge them not to leave taps running.
As engineers tackled the problem, drivers worked through the night to ensure bottled water supplies were delivered to those most in need.
These included the elderly, pregnant women and families with children under 12 months, as well as residents who rely on a safe water supply for medical issues.
Glenrothes resident Denise Wallace said at its worst her supply was a “brown sludge”.
She said: “The problem has been bad with a brown sludge coming through the taps at first and a continued supply of dirty and discoloured water since, which is disgusting.
“We were advised to run taps for up to two hours to clear the problem which I think has actually made the problem worse as that advice has now changed.”
Miss Wallace and both parents in her household rely on a clean water supply because of underlying health conditions so have been placed on a priority list for bottled water.
A spokesperson for Scottish Water, said the issue was a result of high demand during the hot weather.
“We have been monitoring our network and there are signs that this is settling and improving,” said the spokesperson.
“For some customers, due to their location from our treatment works this may take more time to settle, and we apologise for any inconvenience caused.
“During this time please do not leave your water taps running to check if your water runs clear.
“We will update our web page with more information as soon as we can.”
Advice on saving water during prolonged dry spells is at www.scottishwater.co.uk
