Scottish water quality engineering firm Panton McLeod has celebrated another success in the ongoing expansion of its pipeline division by cleaning a strategic pipe section in the West of Scotland.

The company carried out a programme of flushing and swabbing along a 43km stretch of pipeline in Argyll & Bute, which provides drinking water for thousands of people across three villages in the region.

A two-man team from Panton McLeod spent three weeks servicing and cleaning the pipeline as part of a wider programme carried out by Morrison Construction for Scottish Water, which involved replacing and extending the water mains connecting Lochgilpead, Adrishaig, Lochgair and the surrounding area.

In addition to providing cleaning services, the Panton McLeod team successfully disinfected and de-chlorinated a brand new stretch of pipeline that was installed as part of the project, ensuring crystal clear drinking water for households in the region.

The project was also the first pipeline programme overseen by Panton McLeod’s new team leader Les Bottomely, a former land drilling operative with Holequest Ltd who joined the Borders-based water quality engineers earlier this year.


Barclay Smart, operations manager for Panton McLeod, said: “Our pipeline services are becoming an integral part of our work within the UK water sector, so we’re delighted to have been chosen to complete this high profile project for Scottish Water.

“This pipeline is an important resource that provides access to clean drinking water for thousands of people in the Argyll & Bute area. It is also located in a remote part of Scotland, so we had to use all of our expertise to ensure that our team could complete the cleaning, disinfection and de-chlorination work on schedule and within budget.

“We ensured all wastewater was crystal clear before it was flushed to drainage gullies or returned to local water courses, which not only minimised wastage but also reduced the environmental impact of this work.

“It was a challenging programme that once again demonstrated the efficiency and expertise of our engineers. We’re also extremely pleased with how our new recruit Les led the team through this work and ensured the successful completion of another high profile pipeline project for Scottish Water.”

Panton McLeod’s pipeline team have previously provided cleaning and disinfection services to some of the UK’s biggest utility companies, including Scottish Water and Severn Trent Water.

In the past year, the team has also worked with contractors including KMI, BiWater Leslie, Black & Veatch and Carillion on a range of pipeline projects throughout the country.

Panton McLeod also provides traditional tank cleaning and inspection services at water storage facilities in the UK, as well as operating a successful repairs division. The firm has also pioneered the use of robotic equipment to inspect and clean service reservoirs, tanks and towers throughout the country.

(GK)