WORK is about to start on a scheme to prevent West End homes flooding during heavy rain.

The £1.5million project will help reduce the risk of damage to around 60 homes in the Shafton Road area which have experienced recurring flooding problems for a number of years.

The work is part of a £250m, five year programme which Scottish Water announced in February.

It will improve river water quality and the natural environment of the Clyde, allow the Greater Glasgow area to grow, ease sewer flooding and deal with the effects of increased rainfall and climate change.

A total of 27 properties in Shafton Road, in Knightswood ,have been hit with internal flooding and 35 by external flooding.Now Scottish Water plans to install a combined sewer overflow on the trunk sewer, upstream on its waste water network in the Summerston area.

The project is expected to take around six months to complete and will help protect the housing from flooding during prolonged storm conditions by preventing the water levels in the sewer from reaching flood levels.

Gary Craig, Scottish Water's west area waste}~ water assets manager, said: "Scottish Water is committed to doing everything we can to help communities and customers by playing our part in tackling flooding and dealing with the impact of heavy rainfall.

"We are aware some properties in the Shafton Road area have suffered from recurring flooding over a number of years and we fully appreciate the inconvenience this can cause. We know affected customers will welcome our improvements to our network."

Scottish Water has carried out investigations into the flooding in the Shafton Road area and these have indicated the flooding has been caused by capacity issues in the sewer network.

The company said the trunk sewer serves a significant area and levels can be affected by rainfall.

Mark Maclaren, Scottish Water's regional community manager, said: "We held an information event last week to inform customers about the project and we know those who have been affected by flooding in the Shafton Road area will be delighted we are starting this project."

vivienne.nicoll@ eveningtimes.co.uk