Drivers are delighting that a busy Ayr road has reopened following emergency water works.
South Harbour Street has been closed for over two weeks between Fort Street and New Bridge Street to allow workers access to fix a burst sewer pipe, leaving motorists facing lengthy diversions and huge queues.
A burst sewer pipe on January 26 led to the shutdown of the road, after a section of sewer pipework became dislodged at Ayr Harbour.
Engineers got to work repairing the issues, with teams racing to pump out any contaminated water in a bid to minimise the environmental impact.
Scottish Water chiefs feared the emergency works could last up to one month, but thankfully the road has reopened as of this morning.
Teams were limited to working for a few hours during low tides and often in poor weather conditions, but have completed the works more than a week ahead of schedule.
Two of the seven sections of fibreglass pipe have been replaced and all joints reinforced with two extra stainless-steel bands and toughened band seals.
The concrete saddles which the pipe rests on have also been repaired and larger fixings installed.
Georgina Reid, Scottish Water’s corporate affairs regional manager in the west, said: “We are really pleased to have completed the repairs here as we recognise the impact that the traffic management had for road users.
“It has been a challenging project with our contractor having to follow tidal patterns which change daily.
“The team has worked hard to bring the damaged section of sewer back online as quickly as possible.
“We would like to thank all our customers for their patience and understanding while this emergency work was carried out.”
Fears were initially raised that the contents of the pipe could pollute the water and reach the nearby shore.
But following an investigation, environmental agency SEPA say they found ‘no signs of pollution.’
Anyone who spots signs of pollution is encouraged to contact SEPA via the Pollution Hotline on 0800 807060 or online at www.sepa.org.uk/report.
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