New Unst water tank

WORK ON a £2.8 million water treatment plant in Unst has been completed to serve around 1,000 Scottish Water customers in the most northerly communities the utility serves.

The plant, which will double the drinking water storage capacity, also features a laboratory and modern treatment equipment.

The building design had to account for extremely high wind loadings as Unst has some of the highest recorded wind speeds in the UK.

The main contractor was Ross-shire Engineering of Muir of Ord, with local firm Tulloch Developments Ltd involved as civil engineering sub contractor.

Work on the project began in April 2012 and was completed in December 2012.

Project manager Malcolm Miller said: “When embarking on this project we were conscious that we needed a building that could withstand the strong winds frequently recorded on Unst and provide increased storage capacity for the benefit of Scottish Water customers.”