Major sewer repairs in Inverness neighbourhood to stretch into summer and cause 'significant disruption'
Three months of additional "significantly disruptive" sewer repairs will be needed in an Inverness city centre neighbourhood after engineers spotted "a further issue".
Scottish Water has been working to repair a sewer main in Duncraig Street, close to the River Ness – a project that is expected to last until mid-March.
But workers have now identified a "further issue" with a section of sewer on King Street between the junction of Duncraig Street and Greig Street, and will need to spend a further three months carrying "essential" repairs on this too.
Scottish Water stressed that this extra repair work will "need to be completed as soon as possible", and its workers will move onto it once the first phase is complete in mid-March.
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The newly-identified repairs are expected to take roughly three months, meaning streets in that area could face disruption until mid-June, with a section of King Street set to be closed for the duration.
Project Manager Thomas Hannan said: “We recognise that, while essential, these works will cause some significant disruption for residents in the area, as well as for families with children attending St Joseph’s Primary, for which we would like to apologise.
“We are contacting residents and businesses directly to advise them of the arrangements we’ve agreed with Highland Council regarding parking and bin collections while the project is being carried out.
"Due to the nature of the work, there will be a degree of construction noise from heavy machinery which we will seek to minimise as far as possible.
“We would like to thank residents and road users in the area in advance for their patience while we complete this work, which will ensure the sewer system can continue to serve residents effectively and protect the environment for years to come.”
The work is being completed on Scottish Water’s behalf by contractor MacAulay Askernish.