Work has started on a massive tank to collect storm water and store it at the new Dundee waterfront.

Part of the multi-million pound transformation of the area, the tank will allow other major changes to take place by ensuring that the low lying area of the central waterfront is protected from flooding.

Large enough to store enough rainwater to fill 1.6m kettles the tank, which will be sited east of the Hilton Hotel, will be completely hidden underground when it is finished.

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Ken Guild chairman of the Dundee Waterfront board said: "This huge piece of the jigsaw is fundamental to the completion of this visionary project and without it none of the development planned for the transformed waterfront would be sustainable.

"There would be a serious risk of flooding the first time a high tide coincided with an exceptionally heavy downpour, so it is crucial to the successful completion of the strategy."

Funding has come from Dundee City Council and Scottish Enterprise, which approved a £33m package as part of its commitment to improving the country's built environment earlier this year.

AMCO were selected as the successful bidders for the work on the tank which is expected to take around a year to complete.

The concrete tank, around two metres below the surface, will have a concrete deck on top as it will eventually be under a new road which will form part of the street grid pattern later in the project.

(GK/JM)