No damp proofer listed in Melrose yet.

A damp proofer diagnoses and treats damp problems in buildings - rising damp, penetrating damp and condensation - using chemical injection, tanking, waterproof membranes and ventilation solutions.

Many older Scottish properties, particularly stone-built ones, suffer from damp issues that worsen if left untreated, leading to damaged plaster, timber rot and unhealthy living conditions.

Be cautious of firms that diagnose rising damp everywhere - get an independent survey first, as the cause is often condensation or penetrating damp, which requires a different and often cheaper solution.

Melrose is a small town on the River Tweed, dominated by the ruins of Melrose Abbey - arguably the finest monastic ruin in Scotland.

The abbey is believed to hold the embalmed heart of Robert the Bruce and its stonework includes some of the most elaborate Gothic carving in the country.

Melrose is the birthplace of rugby sevens - the abbreviated form of the game was invented here in 1883 and the annual Melrose Sevens tournament remains a highlight of the rugby calendar.

The Eildon Hills, visible from across the town, are a landmark of the central Borders and offer walking routes with views across the Tweed valley.

Melrose has a high-quality high street with restaurants, galleries and independent shops and benefits from its proximity to the Borders Railway terminus at Tweedbank.

(opens in new tab)

The Scottish Borders is the largest council area in southern Scotland, stretching from the edge of Edinburgh and East Lothian in the north to the English border in the south.

It is a landscape of rolling hills, river valleys and market towns - the Tweed, Teviot, Ettrick and Yarrow rivers carve through countryside that has been fought over, farmed and written about for centuries.

Hawick and Galashiels are the largest towns, but the region's character is shaped by a string of smaller burghs - Kelso, Jedburgh, Peebles, Melrose and Selkirk - each with its own abbey ruins, common riding traditions, or rugby loyalties.

The Borders Railway, reopened in 2015, connects Tweedbank and Galashiels to Edinburgh Waverley, bringing the northern Borders within commuting distance of the capital for the first time in decades.

The region is known for its textile heritage, its abbeys and an outdoor culture built around hill walking, fishing, mountain biking and rugby - a place where community identity runs deep and the landscape is never far away.