Free bottled water for residents with private supplies

People with private water supplies in Moray are experiencing drastic shortages, with some running dry.

Following the Scottish Environment Protection Agency alert that current water levels in parts of Moray are at 'significant scarcity' level, Moray Council has secured a supply of free bottled drinking water for residents experiencing shortages.

A spokesman said: “This would normally be something that 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 by emailing ehadmin@moray.gov.uk or phoning 01343 563088 (during office hours). The Environmental Health Service will respond as quickly as possible to your enquiry.”

Collection points are in Elgin’s council offices and the Speyside Community Centre in Aberlour. Anyone requiring drinking water from the collection points should contact the council first to arrange for a voucher for the quantity allocated. The vouchers can be emailed or collected at the time of water collection.

Scottish Government funding made available to Local Authorities and Scottish Water has ensured that emergency supplies of drinking water are provided to communities where their private water supplies have run dry.

Long term, the service is providing advice on looking at solutions for remote communities, such as help connecting to the mains supply. If that is not possible, improvements to the current source or forming a new supply can be considered. Grants may be available for some of this work.

There are over 800 private water supplies in Moray serving approximately 4825 properties.

Collection times for bottled drinking water are:

Moray Council Annexe Building, Elgin Mon to Fri 8am to 6pm

Speyside Community Centre, Aberlour Mon to Wed 10am to 9pm

Thurs To Fri 1pm to 9pm

Sat 10am to 4pm

There is some useful advice online here: http://www.scottishwater.co.uk/you-and-your-home/your-home/water-efficiency

Famous for its colony of dolphins, fabulous beaches and more malt whisky distilleries than any where else in Scotland, Moray is a thriving area and a great place to live. Nestling between Aberdeenshire and the Highlands, Moray stretches from Tomintoul in the south to the shores of the Moray Firth, from Keith in the east to Brodie Castle in the west.