Clean water piped to more homes

Connection to the main supply will end years of peaty water

A new water supply has been piped to about 100 households in Sutherland after Scottish Water spent £2m upgrading the existing system.

Residents in Melness have had to endure very peaty water which could clog the whole system at times of peak demand.

The area has been connected to the modern production plant at Loch Calder near Thurso, which supplies most people in Caithness and north Sutherland.

Scottish Water said it was investing £200m in improvements in the Highlands.

Work, which began last autumn, involved the installation of a pumping station and eight kilometres of pipes, including a 250m section buried under the Kyle of Tongue.

Of this, 1.2km was laid through the Kyle of Tongue Causeway.

Major improvements

Work had to be halted for a few days after a grey seal pup got in the way.

Other complications included plans to avoid known otter holts and a colony of water voles.

Steve Bunn, of Scottish Water Solutions, said: "As well as the benefit of improved drinking water, our contractors lived and worked in the community for seven months, supporting local businesses and the local economy over the otherwise quiet winter period."

Joanna Peebles, Scottish Water's communities manager for the Highlands, said: "We're proud of the drinking water we make at Loch Calder and it's great that the customers at Melness are now able to enjoy it.

"This project shows how major improvements can be made without causing massive disruption."