Scottish Water has announced the successful completion of a £2.5 million project to help drain the rain and protect the centre of Lanark from internal and external sewer flooding during extreme weather events.

A huge 13 metre deep storm water storage tank has been built beneath the town's Wellgate car park and the local sewer network upgraded.

It's one of the ways our network helps manage rainwater during heavy storms, and reduce the risk of flooding to properties.

During these extreme weather events, excess water will be stored there before being pumped back into the sewer once water levels in the network have fallen.

Georgina Reid, Scottish Water's corporate affairs manager in the west said: "I am delighted we have been able to deliver this much-needed project for Lanark.

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"Sewer flooding when it happens is distressing and inconvenient and that is why we are investing many millions of pounds in similar schemes across Scotland. The extra sewer capacity this new infrastructure brings will help us meet the challenges we face from the impact of climate change. Draining the rain more effectively will help avoid flooding.

"The community – especially local businesses – have been exceptionally patient and understanding for which we are very grateful."

During construction of the storm tank, the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service were given the opportunity to carry out a live rescue exercise on the site.

The hands-on training involved the recovery of an injured person from the bottom of the tank using ropes.

Georgina added: "This was a great example of partnership working and we were more than happy to provide an opportunity to put such important life-saving techniques to the test.

"The pictures from the event give a great perspective of the scale of the storm water tank and the engineering effort that has been required.

"We are delighted the completed project will now be able to provide peace of mind for residents and road users."

The project has been delivered by alliance partner amey-binnies.