Work on the final stage of a project to improve the sewer system at an East Renfrewshire park will begin this month.

Following lengthy delays due to third-party negotiations, Scottish Water will start the last phase of improvements at Busby Glen, in Giffnock, to allow the much-loved park to reopen.

From the week starting Monday, July 18, a duct will be installed to allow a cable to be laid that will power the new infrastructure.

A full package of reinstatement plans has been agreed with East Renfrewshire Council and will also be completed. This includes maintenance of more than a mile of footpaths within the park.

However, the park is not expected to reopen before the end of the school summer holidays.

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: “We are acutely aware of the frustrations of the community that the park has remained closed to the public for so long.

“We’ve been working hard behind the scenes to find a way forward and have now provided a solution which allows us to complete the works, get the park reinstated and hand it back to East Renfrewshire Council.

“We offer our sincere apologies that the park will not reopen over the summer. This is something we deeply regret but we are now on a positive pathway to completing the project.

“Giving the park back to the local community is a top priority.”

Scottish Water say it has been necessary to keep the park closed for health and safety reasons, due to the nature of the construction site and the essential maintenance required to make the wider area safe for public use.

Work to upgrade the sewer pipes beneath the railway arch at Printers Land began on May 23 and is on track to be completed within six weeks.

The cable will be laid to power the infrastructure at a later date and this will not require any further closure of the park.