Scottish Water and its contractor George Leslie have installed a new running track at Ardeer Primary School in Stevenston following major repair work earlier this year.

The new sports facility was gifted to the school following a significant burst on a 700mm rising sewer main, which caused a sinkhole in the school's playing field in February.

The complex repair involved replacing a 25-metre section of the damaged pipe and relining a further 70-metres to ensure the long-term resilience of the vital wastewater infrastructure. The project presented significant construction challenges due to the coastal ground conditions at the site. Despite these difficulties, customers' wastewater services were successfully restored just over three weeks after the burst occurred.

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As part of the reinstatement efforts, Scottish Water and George Leslie collaborated to gift the school a new tarred and lined running track. This enhancement provides a lasting improvement to the school's outdoor facilities, designed for pupils to enjoy for many years to come.

Megan Constantine, Scottish Water's Senior Project Manager, commented: "We were pleased to work with Ardeer Primary School after they experienced multiple bursts in their playing field, and we wanted to give something back. The new running track is a lasting legacy and a great example of what can be achieved through collaboration."

Tony Fry, Construction Director at George Leslie, highlighted the co-operative nature of the project: "This new track represents a strong example of the collaborative ethos at George Leslie, born from a togetherness involving ourselves, Scottish Water, and Enviroclean. While its core aim was to remediate the school's playing field, it also demonstrates the positive changes we bring to the communities we work in."

During the repair period, to coincide with British Science Week, Scottish Water invited a group of Primary 6 and 7 pupils to the site. This initiative allowed the students to gain first-hand insight into large-scale infrastructure repairs and learn more about the engineering involved.