MORE THAN one in four people think Scotland could suffer serious water shortages in the future, a survey carried out for the Scottish Executive has found.

Climate change/global warming was reckoned to be the most likely cause, although there were also concerns about households using too much water. Other reasons given included leaking pipes and higher demand as more homes are built.

Researchers said, “There has been a considerable amount of publicity in the past year about water shortages south of the Border.

“Given Scotland’s image as a water-rich country, that has never before suffered from serious water shortages, it could be considered surprising that 28% of people think that these are likely in the future.”

The survey, involving a random sample of more than 1000 adults, was done to find out attitudes towards the water environment.

When asked about possible actions they could take to protect the environment, only 21% said they would use less water. Other measures, such as recycling rubbish, taking public transport or cutting energy use were all more popular.

The vast majority of those questioned believed the water environment was important to their quality of life, with 71% saying water standards were good in their own area. Lochs, rivers and streams were reckoned to be in a better state than coastal waters. Pollution and sewage were seen as the biggest threats.

Researchers concluded that there should be more work to persuade people of the need for sustainable water use, possibly including stricter controls and conservation, combined with investment in improvements.