Scottish Water has published new figures showing that its major investment in new water mains across the Highlands and Islands has paid dividends, with 106 fewer burst pipes in the past year.
During 2008/09 Scottish Water dealt with 1,397 burst water mains in the Highland and Western Isles local authority areas, a seven per cent drop from 1,503 the previous year (07/08). Over the last year Scottish Water has replaced 61,509 metres of water mains in Highland and the Western Isles, having renewed 72,100 metres the year before.
Sheila Campbell-Lloyd, Scottish Water’s Regional Manager for Highland and the Western Isles, said:
“These figures show that we are delivering real improvements for our customers, improving the reliability of their supplies. Across Scotland we inherited a huge network of over 47,000 kilometres of water mains, much of which went in the ground half a century ago. But we are renewing it at a record rate, targeting our funds in the Highlands and Islands where they’re most needed, from remote and rural communities to Inverness city centre. And by running our service efficiently we are able to keep the average water bill below £1 a day.”
Other water mains renewal projects are ongoing as part of Scottish Water’s 2010 Vision.
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