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Daily Record
Daily Record
National
Ryan Thom

Full investigation launched into burst sewer pipe causing chaos in Ayr town centre

A probe has been launched into a burst sewer pipe causing chaos in Ayr town centre.

Water chiefs have told how a 'full investigation' is underway into what caused a mains pipe to become dislodged near Ayr Harbour.

An urgent repair was ordered after the alarm was raised on Thursday night.

Engineers were forced to lock down a major Ayr road to carry out repairs safely over the weekend.

South Harbour Street has been closed down between Fort Street and New Bridge Street.

An update yesterday revealed that the closure will be in place for up to four weeks.

Meanwhile teams have been racing to pump out any contaminated water in a bid to minimise the environmental impact.

Pictures show the site of the dislodged pipe (Scottish Water)

But today bosses at Scottish Water say their initial inspection has not detected any 'sewage debris' into the river.

It is not known the timeline of the investigation but Scottish Water say their work to establish what caused the pipe to become dislodged is underway.

A Scottish Water spokeswoman said: “Our teams are carrying out a full investigation into the cause of the dislodged sewer pipe.

“Over pumping was installed quickly on Friday night to prevent any further spillage into the watercourse and minimise any potential environmental impact.

"We have been monitoring the site all weekend and, to date, we have not detected any sewage debris. We will continue to liaise with the local harbour authority, Marine Scotland and SEPA.

“The repairs are expected to take around four weeks and we sincerely apologise for the disruption to road users while we complete these works.”

The pipe became dislodged on Thursday (Scottish Water)

Environmental agency SEPA say they have found 'no signs of pollution.'

Fears were raised that the contents of the pipe could pollute the water and reach the nearby shore.

Officials have confirmed that a SEPA officer conducted a sweep of Ayr beach over the weekend to ensure that no sewage debris has found it's way onto the shoreline.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “We were informed by Scottish Water of a burst sewer pipe at Ayr Harbour on the evening of Thursday, January 26 and continue to be regularly updated.

“Over the weekend, a SEPA Officer walked beaches in the area checking for any sewage related debris and did not observe any pollution.

“SEPA will continue to monitor and liaise with Scottish Water until the repair is complete.

“We would encourage anyone who spots signs of pollution to contact SEPA via the Pollution Hotline 0800 80 70 60 or online at www.sepa.org.uk/report.”

Additional signage has been put in place for motorists advising them of diversion routes through the town.

A Scottish Water spokeswoman added: "We are currently focussing efforts on carrying out the permanent repair as quickly as possible to minimise the impact of the current traffic management in place.

"Additional signage has now been implemented to provide road users with an early warning of the road closure and diversion route."

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