Work is underway on a £24 million water infrastructure upgrade project in North Ayrshire.

The project will see a new 7.3 mile-long water main installed south of Drybridge near Dreghorn to benefit customers in Irvine, Kilwinning, Stevenston, Dreghorn, Drybridge and parts of Saltcoats. Overall, the scheme will provide around 85,000 people with an improved water supply security.

An existing concrete main will be replaced with a more robust plastic structure to reduce the risk of bursts. In addition, the new main will be installed via a new route to improve accessibility for Scottish Water to undertake maintenance/repair work.

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The year-long scheme is part of a £120m investment in Ayrshire's and part of East Renfrewshire's water supply. Work is currently underway on the installation of around 30 miles of new mains on a 13 mile-long stretch from near Newton Mearns to the Fenwick/Waterside area.

Jane McKenzie, Scottish Water's regional communities team manager, said: "This investment in the Irvine area will significantly improve the resilience of our network and reduce the potential for burst water mains and the disruption to customers they can cause."

Cameron Sharp, Country Parks Manager with North Ayrshire Council, added: "Scottish Water's ecologists are working with our staff to ensure that conservation, habitat monitoring and resource protection at Eglinton Country Park are core to the work Scottish Water is carrying out in the park.

"Scottish Water is working closely with our staff on matters such as tree planting, soil replacement to ensure plant recovery, and the reinstatement of paths and access routes."

(LM)