Scottish Water has started work on a new £24 million strategic water main – the major investment is set to benefit thousands of North Ayrshire customers.

More than 85,000 people in parts of North Ayrshire will benefit from improved security of their water supply and a reduction in the risk of burst mains.

Scottish Water has started work on the construction of the 7.3 mile-long water main which will be installed on mainly rural land. The route of the new main includes going under the River Irvine and the A71, replacing an existing main whose route goes through more built-up areas. The route of the new main will also improve accessibility for Scottish Water to undertake maintenance work and, should the need arise, any repair work.

The existing concrete main will be replaced with a new plastic main and the use of more robust materials will make the new main less susceptible to bursts.

The project, which is expected to be completed in about a year, is a part of Scottish Water’s major investment in Ayrshire which we announced in December 2015.

The overall £120 million investment in the water mains infrastructure will benefit almost 220,000 people in much of Ayrshire and part of East Renfrewshire. Work on the installation of about 30 miles of new mains is also under way on a 13 mile-long stretch from near Newton Mearns to the Fenwick/Waterside area.