Work to upgrade a sewer main in Renfrew is being extended to protect prized local allotments following a spate of bursts.
We previously reported how plots at Paterson Park allotments had been flooded with sewage twice in the space of nine months following faults on the 700mm diameter pipe that runs to the Shieldhall Waste Water Treatment works in Glasgow.
Site investigation works have already begun on a burst-prone 300-metre section under King's Inch Road, in Renfrew, but this is to be extended by a further 550 metres.
Georgina Reid, Scottish Water's corporate affairs manager in the west, said: "We have been designing and planning a major project to address the age and condition of this particular sewer for some time.
"Recently there has been a significant deterioration in the pipe's integrity that has resulted in several bursts impacting on local residents and the environment.
"We recognised the importance of addressing the issue as quickly as possible and I am delighted we have been able to extend this first phase of the work."
Initial site investigations are being carried out along King's Inch Road between Ferry Road and Crofton Way to establish ground conditions and the presence of other utilities such as communications and power cables.
Once the design has been finalised and preparations are complete, a temporary overland pipe will be constructed to carry the flows from the pumping station.
Access pits will be excavated at strategic points along the route of the existing sewer to allow the lining material to be fed down and drawn through the centre of the pipe.
Georgina added: "This will be a complex and technically challenging project to deliver given the number of other utilities in the ground and the fact we will be working in close proximity to residential properties.
"We have nearly completed a similar project in Saltcoats so the method is tried and tested, and we are confident we can deliver resilience for our customers and protection for the environment."
The second phase of the project will ultimately see a further kilometre of sewer upgraded.
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