Scottish Water has planted thousands of native trees across two sites in South Lanarkshire, enhancing biodiversity and capturing carbon as part of its national woodland creation programme.

Almost 29 hectares of land around Glengavel Reservoir and a further 10 hectares at the decommissioned Dunside Reservoir near Strathaven have been planted with native broadleaf saplings including ash, oak and birch.

The Dunside Reservoir was taken out of service in 2009, with work in 2023 to safely relocate fish, breach the dams, and restore the natural watercourse.

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Together, the new woodlands are expected to lock away approximately 22,820 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent over the next 60 years,

In addition to carbon sequestration, the trees planted around Glengavel Reservoir will help protect water quality by stabilising surrounding soil, reducing organic runoff and simplifying water treatment processes.

Scottish Water project manager Steve Garbett said: "We have significantly increased the scale of our woodland creation programme across Scotland this year, helping to ensure that woodland and natural habitats across Scottish Water land are thriving.

"Not only is this essential to tackling the biodiversity crisis, it also helps to lock up carbon and maintain the quality of our water supplies by stabilising the soil surrounding our lochs and reservoirs."