Preparatory works have commenced as part of a £3.5m flood prevention scheme at Knowle Burn, West Dunbartonshire.

The project will see a huge storage pond created that will be capable of holding enough water to fill six Olympic-sized swimming pools. This will be located between Council offices at Garshake, and the A82 dual carriageway. The aim of the pond is to collect overspill water from the burn and protect drivers and nearby residents from flooding. In order to create the storage, some 15,000 cubic metres of earth needs to be removed from the site.

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Work on this phase is scheduled to being in December and last until summer 2014.

Until then, contractors are assembling the site complex, and further restrictions to traffic are expected to come into force in the new year as works progress.

Councillor David McBride, Convener of Neighbourhood Services, said: "This Council is committed to reducing the flood risk for our residents and local motorists. The Knowle Burn scheme is a major project and we hope that residents, visitors and staff will be prepared to put up with the temporary inconvenience for a lifetime of reassurance."

Councillor Lawrence O'Neill, Vice Convener of Neighbourhood Services, added: "Beyond Knowle Burn, the Council has done its bit to mitigate the risk of flooding with an additional £1 million invested on various schemes throughout West Dunbartonshire, and to fund the subsidy of new flood prevention equipment for residents in flood-risk areas."

(JP/MH)