Scottish water and its supplier Ross-shire Engineering Ltd have picked up a major accolade at the Water Industry Awards 2019.

The innovative Lochmaddy Water Treatment Works at North Uist won the Design for Manufacture and Assembly Award at the prestigious gala dinner event in Birmingham.

The Water Industry Awards brings together industry experts to celebrate and reward outstanding achievement and innovation in the UK water Industry.

The new Lochmaddy Water Treatment Works is part of a £15m project to improve the water supply for North Uist and Berneray in the Outer Hebrides.

The WTW was built in modules by Ross-shire Engineering at their specialist factory in Muir of Ord before being transported to the site by road and ferry in a series of convoys, improving efficiency and reducing the impact on the local community.

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The project won through two rounds of intense judging to make the shortlist for one of four new categories, before picking up gold on the night.

James Brockett, Editor, Waste Water Treatment, who chaired the judging panel, said: "We were particularly impressed by the response to our new categories covering Design for Manufacture and Assembly, Water Retailers and Consultancies. As always, our expert judges have had a tough time picking the winners."

Jimmy Ferguson, Scottish Water's Senior Project Manager, said: "We're delighted to receive this national recognition on behalf of the whole team involved in delivering Lochmaddy's new water treatment works."

Project manager Anoushka Ainslie McAlpine, added: "This innovative project has demonstrated what can be achieved for our customers, using off-site design and manufacturing processes to deliver a high quality product faster and with reduced disruption for the local community.

"The investment that we have delivered is the key element in ensuring that communities across North Uist and Berneray continue to receive clear, fresh, high quality drinking water into the future."

Scottish Water was a finalist in three further categories at the awards including: Alliancing and Partnership Initiative of the Year with CRIS Consultancy; People Initiative of the Year with Cranfield University for the Water Science Development Programme; and Water Company of the Year.