A £6.5 million Scottish Water scheme to improve the quality for thousands of customers has been completed in East Ayrshire.

A new Olympic swimming pool sized treated water storage tank near Patna is now supplying 6,500 customers after undergoing final testing.

Covering 700 square metres, the seven metres deep, three megalitre concrete structure replaces the old tank built in the 1930's. The project has been delivered by the public utility's delivery partner ESD Scotland.

Gary Scott, ESD Project Manager said: "This was an extremely challenging project to deliver, particularly given the location and how close we were to the existing tank.

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"The weather was also a factor, with significant rainfall impacting the drainage of the heavy clay soil which we managed to overcome.

"I would like to thank everyone who worked on the project for their professionalism and perseverance in delivering a quality asset that will benefit the community for many years to come."

Several innovative approaches and techniques were deployed to deliver the new storage tank, including the prefabrication of reinforcement for the tank’s wall on site.

A rechargeable remote tower crane was also used, removing the need for working at height which had clear safety benefits during construction but also helped to cut carbon emissions.

Landscaping works and new perimeter fencing are now being completed.

Scottish Water is investing record levels – to repair, renew and replace vital assets.

ESD Scotland is a joint venture between three companies - Binnies, Galliford Try and MWH Treatment - working with Scottish Water to deliver high quality clean and waste water assets for communities across Scotland.