Work has started on a new £120m Scottish Water project which will benefit more than 200,000 people.

Construction is under way during the first phase of the investment in the drinking water network, which will help thousands of people and businesses in much of Ayrshire and parts of East Renfrewshire.

Preparatory work on a 13 mile-long strategic water main from near Newton Mearns to the Fenwick/Waterside area has been carried out and the pipes are being installed.

The route of this section of water main, which goes over mainly farmland and open moorland, starts at Waulkmill Glen reservoir near Newton Mearns and goes south via Drumboy Hill, close to the M77 and A77 to Amlaird Water Treatment Works near Fenwick.

Following 18 months of preparatory work, which included the creation of a strip for the water main to be installed, contractors for Scottish Water have been laying sections of pipe next to the route before installation.

The contractors are now setting up welding areas and excavating 5m-deep trenches before using a large crane to lower 12m-long sections of the steel pipe, weighing up to three tonnes, into place.

Stewart Davis, Scottish Water's programme manager, said: "We are delighted to have completed all the preparatory work for this section of main and to have started the construction phase.

"This is a major piece of work on the first phase of Scottish Water's overall investment in improvements to connect the system in Ayrshire with the Greater Glasgow area's network.

"We have worked closely with many different stakeholders, including landowners and statutory bodies, and we would like to thank them for their help and co-operation which has enabled us to complete the preparatory work and now move on to the construction phase.

"This involves installing a new water main from Waulkmill Glen reservoir to the Fenwick Waterside area, which we estimate will be completed this autumn."