Scottish Water bosses have issued a progress update on work in Skelmorlie that has left motorists facing delays on the A78.

The utility company says the work, which began in early May, is on course to be completed by November.

Two miles of new pipework are being installed under the trunk road between Wemyss Bay and Skelmorlie, with 200-250 metre stretches of the road being closed at a time to enable the pipes to be put in place.

Villager Greg Beecroft contacted the News asking about the latest state of play.

He said: "Scottish Water seem to be making very good progress, with work now under way south of Waters Edge and getting into the area where the road is directly by the shore. 

(Image: Greg Beecroft)

"Is it possible they might be finished before November?

"It would be very interesting to know how they are installing the main. Initially, the section by Rothesay Court at Cunningham Court, near Wemyss Bay, involved digging a continuous trench in the road. 

"Continuing southwards the contractor has been digging holes in the road that are neither uniform size nor evenly spaced. 

"Presumably, some form of jacking device is being used, but why are the holes so variable?"

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “The project is progressing well and is on schedule to be finished in November.

"We are currently where we should be to be on track for November, which is just past the Skelmorlie Chinese restaurant.

"In terms of how we are doing the work, we are using a combination of two methods: open cut and pipe bursting, depending on what is most suitable at that moment.

"Open cut involves digging trenches to lay the pipes, while pipe bursting involves replacing old pipes with new ones by breaking the old pipes and pulling new ones through.

"Right now, we've switched back to the open cut method because we're crossing over to the other side of the road, which has some curves.

"The excavations, or digging, vary because we need to create 'launch and receive' pits, and we also have to work around other utility lines or services.”

(Image: Greg Beecroft)

Scottish Water is carrying out a significant investment to improve the resilience and quality of the water supply in North Ayrshire following a spate of bursts.

Starting from just south of Wemyss Bay the work is being carried out under rolling traffic management, reducing the road to one lane for approximately 250 metres at a time.

A convoy method is deployed to ensure vehicles are guided through the works at a safe speed while their teams are working in the lane closure area.

Temporary lights control traffic at all other times.

Major delays are not anticipated but road users are advised to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.