Thurso residents have been left with a bitter taste in their mouths due to problems with their tap water.
Households in the town and across the wider area have reported a chemical taste in their water dating as far back as a few weeks.
Taking to the Facebook group Thurso Community Noticeboard, locals have branded it ‘horrible’.
Scottish Water said it was investigating a water complaint at one household and described it as an “isolated issue”
But large numbers of north residents have taken to social media to suggest it is far from an isolated problem.
People across Caithness have reported water woes, including people in Portskerra, Bettyhill, Strath Halladale and Castletown.
Many said they had been repeatedly boiling their tap water in recent days in an unsuccessful effort to improve its flavour.
Thurso residents stuck with chemical taste in tap water
Ashley Bews took to social media to describe say: “I’m really noticing it in coffee, which is weird as the water is boiled.
“It has a bitter/chemically taste, like I’ve descaled the kettle but not rinsed it out.
“I’m glad it’s not just me.”
Trish Kimber said she thought the bitter taste was coming from her teabags, but was delighted to discover it was not just her experiencing it.
She said in response to mentions of water quality issues: “Wow, we said the same yesterday.
“We thought it was the teabags. Definitely not tasting so nice!
“Glad you’ve noticed it too.”
Kelly Hunter, meanwhile, said that in addition to taste issues, her water has an ‘oily look’ to it.
She said: “I’ve noticed my water (even when boiled) has a weird oil-like look to it.
“It’s been like that for a while now and definitely doesn’t taste the same either.”
Scottish Water to investigate ‘horrible’ water
When contacted by the Press and Journal, Scottish Water said it had been made aware of an “isolated” issue by a concerned homeowner.
They said an operative is due to attend at that address to investigate the quality of the water.
But they asked anyone similarly affected to get in touch.
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “We can confirm we have received one report of an unusual taste to the water across the Portskerra, Bettyhill, and wider Thurso area.
“In line with our standard procedure for such reports, we have arranged for an operative to attend the property and investigate further.
“We would like to reassure residents that this is an isolated report and should not cause wider concern.”
The spokesperson said Scottish Water carries out “rigorous testing of the public water supply 365 days a year”.
That includes customers’ taps and service reservoirs.
They added: “If any other residents are experiencing issues, we encourage them to contact us directly on 0800 0778 778.”
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