Published: Thursday, 25th June, 2009 11:06am

£5.5m water project completed

Comments (0) | Print | Email

A YEAR and a half since they first dug into the soil, the East Bay esplanade works by Scottish Water are now complete.

On Monday, councillors were given a tour of the works, which consisted of more than 10 separate projects totalling £5.5 million, carried to improve the waste water infrastructure to reduce the overflow of sewage into the Clyde.

The investment, which saw three sea outfalls removed and 10 combined sewer overflows being upgraded, was welcomed by Jackie Baillie MSP.

She said: 'The town has been in urgent need of serious investment for some time in the waste water infrastructure. This investment will improve the local environment for residents and visitors to Helensburgh.

'I know there has been considerable upheaval for business and residents alike but I am sure that people will acknowledge that this is a major investment in Helensburgh and the benefits to the environment will be clear for all to see in the years to come.'

The councillors were also shown the progress of the works at Craigendoran Pier, which they hope to be completed by the end of July.

Councillor Vivien Dance said: 'We are delighted with the end result of the works. It"s been a great project and that"s largely down to the lessons that they learned from the town centre works which caused a lot of upheaval.

'What we recognised on the trip was that not only have they restored the seafront exactly, they have actually improved the area too. The seafront looks neat and tidy and the grass looks lush.'

Helensburgh councillor Al Reay praised the work of Scottish Water and their contractors.

'I have been extremely pleased with the willingness and co-operation of Scottish Water to liaise and work constructively with the council, local businesses and residents during this work and to minimise, wherever possible, the disruption to local businesses and inconvenience to local residents."

'We appreciate the efforts of Scottish Water to restore the East Bay area to its former glory and we believe that this major investment will substantially improve the environment in the area.'

FULL STORY IN THIS WEEK'S ADVERTISER