Work starts on improvements to stop unwanted waste getting into Edinburgh's Water of Leith

Scottish Water says the 7.5 million project will last two years and will mean some disruption for walkers, runners and cyrclists.

WORK is about to start on a £7.5 million investment to stop items wrongly flushed down the toiler - like wipes, sanitary products and cotton wool - from overflowing into the Water of Leith during storms.

Scottish Water said it was installing new pipework, chambers and screens to reduce the risk of sewage-related debris entering the river and thus reducing the environmental impact of storm overflows.

The two-year project involves work on 14 existing underground overflow chambers at various sites along the Water of Leith from Balerno to North Edinburgh near the Gyle.

The Water of Leith flows for 24 miles, from its source in the Pentland Hills to its outflow in the Firth of Forth at Leith

The first phase of the work will begin on February 24 at an underground chamber in Kingsknowe , located near Colinton Dell, and two other sites by the river in Juniper Green off Baberton Loan.

Scottish Water said there would be disruption and local diversions in the area.

The Spylaw car park at the entrance to Colinton Tunnel / Dell will closed Monday-Friday so it can be used as a site compound for the Kingsknowe work, but it will reopen every Saturday and Sunday.

And to enable safe delivery of materials to the construction area there will be a convoy system in place for about seven months along a 1km stretch of the Water of Leith walkway from the entrance at Spylaw car park to the construction site northwards at Colinton Dell. A temporary footpath will be provided for pedestrians and cyclists to maintain access within the Colinton Dell area.

Scottish Water also said it would work alongside the project team creating Scotland's biggest outdoor mural completing in the Colinton Tunnel to ensure the water improvement work does not impact on them.

Scott Fraser, corporate affairs manager at Scottish Water, said: “The Water of Leith, Edinburgh’s hidden natural asset, is a vital watercourse and this work is being carried out to improve the water quality and environment in the area.

“We know the area where this work is being carried out is hugely popular with many people including walkers, runners and cyclists. There will be some disruption during this work and local diversions will be in place at times. We ask people to take extra care while we are carrying out this essential work. We will do all we can to keep any disruption to a minimum.”

Jeff Windross, communication manager for Amey Black and Veatch , the company carrying out the work, said: “We have had good initial meetings with community groups in the area and will continue working with them to keep the community up to date with progress of the project.”

Helen Brown of the Water of Leith Conservation Trust welcomed the investment by Scottish Water. She said: “We are happy to see this investment and upgrading works taking place along the river. People often do not make the connection between what they flush and the potential impact it can have on the sewer network and ultimately their river should there be a blockage or failure in the system. Hopefully this work will mean we find less sewer waste in the river on our clean-ups and better overall water quality.”

An information event on the work to be carried out by Scottish Water will be held in Colinton Library on February 17 between 4pm and 7pm. Members of the public can meet the project team and view full plans for the work.