Final push to restore water supply to properties in Caithness
Work to reconnect the water supply at the remaining properties affected by a mains pipe burst this week is expected to be completed on Wednesday evening.
However, Scottish Water says customers may still experience some effects suchs as low pressure or discolouration of water as supplies return to normal.
A burst water main was located below the A9 at Achavanich on Tuesday and urgent repairs took place into the night, with tankers helping to top up the supply.
The utility firm said a 14-inch trunk main burst, initially affecting around 850 properties in Wick and east Caithness.
It says the majoroty of those properties have now been reconnected, with the work to recharge the network to reconnect the supply to the final 66 properties anticipated to be complete by 5pm on Wednesday.
The remaining affected properties are in the Newport (Berriedale) and Ramscraigs (Dunbeath) areas.
During Wednesday, additional tankers have been brought in to speed up the process of recharging of the network. Bottled water distribution points have now shut as the incident draws to a close, though these remain available by request.
A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “Significant efforts have been made over the last two days to complete this complex repair and restore the water supply to hundreds of households. Thank you to those affected for their patience, and we apologise once again for the inconvenience.
“Reiterating previous advice, customers may experience some intermittent supply, low water pressure, or discoloured water as the network settles. If this happens, our advice is to run the cold tap in the kitchen slowly until it turns clear.”