AbstractU Scorpii was observed in outburst for the tenth time in January 2010. We obtained optical and near-infrared spectroscopy from which we derive a helium abundance of N(He)/N(H) = 0.056±0.020 from the most reliable lines available; this is lower than most other estimates and indicates that the secondary is not helium-rich, as previous studies have suggested. Velocities are found to be up to 14,000 km s⁻¹ in broad components and up to 1,800 km s⁻¹ in narrow line components. The reddening of U Sco is found to be E(B-V) = 0.14 ± 0.12.