Scottish Water has announced the start of a £1.6 million project to address sewer flooding in a village on the Firth of Clyde.

The publicly owned utility is stepping in to prevent internal and external flooding in nearly a dozen properties in Cardross, Argyll and Bute.

Increasing amounts of rainwater during extreme weather events has been overwhelming the local sewer network, also causing flooding in Geilston Park and nearby tennis courts as well.

Now a new screened Combined Sewer Overflow (CSO) is being built as a safe and practicable route to divert excess rainwater away from the sewer network.

Scottish Water Alliance Team Manager Steven Greenhill said: "This is a hugely important project for Cardross and the local community.

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"We have explored a range of options, and this is the best available to safely reduce the risk of properties being flooded during storm conditions.

"CSOs are designed to prevent the sewer from backing up into homes during periods of extreme weather and are critical components when it comes to managing flows during peak rainfall."

The new CSO is being built under a small section of Geilston Park which will divert storm rainwater run-off into the nearby Geilston Burn during extreme weather.

Discharges will only happen when the now-increased sewer reaches capacity and will be screened. Less than one per cent of waste water is from toilets so will not harm the environment.

Steven Greenhill added: "This is a significant investment that will dramatically reduce the risk of sewer flooding for the community in Cardross.

"Scottish Water is investing record levels – nearly a billion pounds a year – on improving its infrastructure to help meet increased demand and address the impact of climate change.

"We would like to thank all concerned for their patience and understanding."

The project is being delivered by Scottish Water's alliance partner Caledonia Water Alliance.

All CSO's are licensed and regulated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).