A £3.5m project to replace five miles of water pipes in Glasgow city centre is due to start later this month. Scottish Water said many of the pipes dated back to Victorian times and were prone to bursts. The work will take in George Street, Hope Street, Bath Street, Renfield Street, St Vincent Street, Wellington Street and Sauchiehall Street. These streets will be affected by temporary lane closures while the work is completed over the next year.

The upgrade will mainly involve work on distribution mains, but will also include a long stretch of a trunk main from Nelson Mandela Place east along West George Street, George Street and Duke Street. Charlene McBride, Scottish Water's regional community manager in Glasgow, said: "We thank affected customers, businesses and road users in advance for their co-operation and understanding. We would stress that any short-term inconvenience will be surpassed by the benefits this upgrade will provide for many years to come."