Foula roads

THE COMPANIES involved in upgrading Foula’s water treatment works have agreed to pay Shetland Islands Council £100,000 to cover the cost of damage to the isles’ roads.

Scottish Water Solutions and its contractor Ross-shire Engineering have been running aggregates from the island’s quarry and other materials to the treatment works at Da Toon o’ Ham and to the new services reservoirs at Da Heights at the north end of the island.

A new pipeline has also been laid to take water from the treatment works to the reservoir, which replaces both the old reservoirs at the north and south of the island.

Most of Foula’s 6km of roads were built directly onto peat with very little foundation. An SIC statement acknowledged that the contractor “made every effort to minimise damage, but there was an inevitable impact on local roads”.

SIC environment and transport committee chairman Michael Stout said he was “very pleased” that Ross-shire Engineering had agreed to cover the cost of repairing the roads, and the work is expected to be carried out shortly.

“It was essential that Scottish Water’s project went ahead,” Stout said, “and it was also inevitable that a certain amount of damage would be done. This money will allow us to reinstate the roads to their former condition.”