A £6.4 million scheme to protect homes in Annan from sewer flooding is nearing completion, Scottish Water has announced.

This investment saw the utility install a storm water storage tank under the ground in Newington Park. The tank is 25m wide and 12m deep with the capacity to hold 4.3 million litres of water (the equivalent of 47,750 baths). 525 meters of bigger sewer pipes were also installed on Rose Street, Greenlea Road, Drummond Road, and the road leading into Newington Park.

Residents who have been directly affected by flooding in the past are delighted that the town will soon benefit from the completion of the project.

Chris Green, whose son was one of the residents who has suffered flooding in the past, has praised the site team for their help throughout the project. He said: "My son's driveway has access from the road leading into the project site and Rob (the site manager) made sure that we had access all the time, even though it put him and his workforce out."

He went on to highlight how, following a flooding incident in October last year, the site team helped his son when his garden was flooded: "They supplied us with a skip to get rid of stuff and it really took a lot of pressure off us. A lot of the lads on the site were helpful and very supportive."

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Another resident Carolyn Jones added: "For being a project of that volume and size, it's not been very disruptive really. I think they have done a fantastic job."

Rob Paul, site manager for amey-binnes said: "We would like to thank the community for their on-going patience during this significant investment for the town. Due to the nature of the construction, this project has been very disruptive, but the locals have been fantastic. The site team worked closely with the community and the local authority to minimize the impact and have been able to leave a positive legacy.

"Having had to fell a mature beech tree on the road leading into the park for health and safety reasons, we gave the wood to the community to be cut up and used for seating in an outdoor community meeting area on Drummond Road. We are also planning to provide solar lighting for the area. It is great seeing the wood being put to good use!"

The road leading into Newington Park - which had to be closed for nine months to enable the construction of the storage tank - was reopened 3 weeks early to enable access for residents in the run up to the Christmas break.

Rose Street was also reopened a week ahead of scheduled planned works so as not to disrupt the remembrance Sunday parade.

Scott Fraser, Scottish Water Corporate Affairs Manager, said: "We know how much this investment means to residents who experienced internal flooding at times of heavy rainfall, when the sewer network was overwhelmed. This work should significantly reduce the risk of future sewer flooding in Annan.

"It's great to hear the positive feedback from our local customers on the way we have worked with the community whilst delivering this investment. We would like to thank the community and everyone else impacted while this work was carried out for their patience. We also want to highlight how, as we have invested in improving the sewer network, people can help us take care of it by only flushing the 3Ps – pee, poo and (loo) paper and helping protect the marine environment."