Scottish Water completed the construction of a new £24 million strategic water main.which will see security of supply improved for 85,000 people in North Ayrshire.

Customers in Irvine, Kilwinning, Stevenston, Dreghorn, Drybridge and parts of Saltcoats will benefit from improved security of their water supply, and a reduction in the risk of burst mains for decades to come following the installation of the plastic 7.3 mile-long water main south of Drybridge.

The new main was installed on mainly rural land from just south of Drybridge and follows a route that goes under the River Irvine and the A71, replacing an old concrete main whose route goes through more built-up areas which will be decommissioned in due course

The project, carried out for Scottish Water by alliance partners Caledonia Water Alliance (CWA), is part of the utility’songoing £120m investment in its water mains infrastructure which will benefit almost 220,000 people in much of Ayrshire and part of East Renfrewshire.

Commenting on the Irvine investment, Jane McKenzie, Scottish Water’s communications manager, said the investment in the Irvine area would significantly improve the resilience of the network and reduce the potential for burst water mains..

Installing the new water main was a significant piece of construction and included environmental, ecological and archaeological studies carried out by Scottish Water to ensure that the work did not adversely affect the areas around the main route.

Pipe-laying work was stopped after sand martins nested on both banks of an excavation housing a dewatering system, used to drain the ground of water, on a flood plain near the Garrier Burn at Drybridge.

Sand martins are often found along rivers and other water bodies as well as man-made gravel pits where artificial nesting banks are sometimes provided.

The birds and their nests are fully protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.