A £2.8m replacement water treatment works for Scotland's most northerly inhabited island has been finished.

About 1,000 Scottish Water customers in Shetland are now benefiting from the new facility on Unst, which has around double the normal drinking water storage capacity of a typical treatment works.

The extra storage has been made possible by a new large glass-coated steel clear water tank.

The facility also features a permanent standby power generator to make the works increasingly resilient. It includes a laboratory and modern treatment equipment to prepare for its being piped to homes and businesses.

Scottish Water's Regional Community Manager Steve Scott said: "This £2.8m investment by Scottish Water in a new treatment works to serve Scotland's most northerly community is a clear demonstration of our commitment to provide customers with the very best drinking water quality and service. The replacement Unst water works has extra storage capacity compared to the old works and modern treatment equipment."

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To ease the construction process the plant was pre assembled and tested at the workshop of contractor Ross-shire Engineering in Muir of Ord. It was then stripped down and shipped to Unst for re-assembly.

The building design had to account for the fact that Unst has some of the highest recorded wind speeds recorded in the UK.

Shetland firm Tulloch Developments Ltd were also involved in the project as civil engineering sub contractor.

Work began in April 2012 and was completed in December 2012.

Project Manager Malcolm Miller added: "When embarking on this project we were conscious that we needed a building that could withstand the strong winds frequently recorded on Unst and provide increased storage capacity for the benefit of Scottish Water customers. We are absolutely delighted with the finished project which will be a major benefit for people living and working on Unst for many years to come."

(IT)