Water quality engineering firm Panton McLeod has celebrated its first work in the UK tourism industry after helping to inspect a water tank at one of the country’s biggest aquariums.  

The firm provided its underwater inspection services at The Deep aquarium in Hull in order to check for blockages and damage in the pipes that are used to pump water into one of the attraction’s huge tanks.

The project represents the first time that Panton McLeod has provided its expertise in the tourism sector and the first project involving an aquarium tank. The firm usually provides its services for some of the country’s biggest water companies – including Severn Trent Water and Scottish Water – in order to clean and inspect underground storage tanks where drinking water is kept before being sent to customers’ taps.

Paul Henderson, operations director with Panton McLeod, said:

“We’re used to dealing with massive underground storage tanks in the water industry, so it was fairly straight forward to adapt our services in this special for The Deep.

“We regularly use state-of-the-art cameras to inspect pipework and check for blockages or damage in these facilities, so we were able to use similar technology in the aquarium tank. We used the divers who work at The Deep to take these cameras into the tank and thread them through the inlet pipes, which allowed us to inspect them from the outside for problems.

“It’s the first time we’ve provided our services in the tourism sector, so we were very excited about this project. We’re delighted that the work was completed without any complications or disruptions, and are looking forward to working with The Deep in the future.

“We’re always pleased when we find new ways that our technology can be utilised – whether it’s in the water industry or in alternative sectors. Hopefully this will be the first step to adapting our technology – which includes innovative underwater cleaning robots -for use in other major aquariums across the UK.”

Katy Duke, curator at The Deep, said:

“We were very impressed with the team from Panton McLeod when they came to The Deep. They have a glowing reputation in the water industry for their underwater inspection services and we could quickly see why.

“Our main aquarium tank is the centrepiece at The Deep, but it is a challenge to inspect all of the inlet pipes for blockages or damage. Panton McLeod’s team were able to use special underwater cameras to inspect the tank while it was still in use, meaning that there was no disruption to our business.

“I would highly recommend their services and look forward to working with the team again in the future.”

Panton McLeod has 15 years experience at developing and applying highly specialised procedures to clean and disinfect the UK’s drinking water storage structures. The firm has also pioneered the use of underwater robots in the UK which are used to inspect and clean these structures while they are still on-line – meaning that there is no disruption to customers’ supplies.

For 2010, Panton McLeod will be placing great emphasis on the repair and refurbishment of drinking water storage structures across the country, having in recent years carried out repair projects for some of the UK’s biggest water companies.