THREE teenagers from Peebles High School were named as winners of a photo competition organised by Scottish Water to commemorate a £12m investment in the Scottish Borders.

The public utility company has been building or modernising a number of treatment works and assets in the region to maintain high quality drinking water for customers and help enhance the environment of the River Tweed.

High school pupils at local schools were asked to submit a photograph capturing the River Tweed, which is linked to a number of Scottish Water assets, through their own eyes.

After judging the entries a Scottish Water panel named Will Rowse as the overall winner of the competition.

Will, 15, submitted a photo of the Tweed from the south side of the river in Peebles, looking towards the town centre and capturing the reflection of trees on the water.

Second prize was awarded to Fearghas Lowther, 14, with third place going to 16-year-old Anna Miller. The three Peebles High School pupils were named as winners by Douglas Millican, the chief executive of Scottish Water, at a community event.

The event, attended by community representatives and local MPs David Mundell and Michael Moore, was held in Innerleithen where Scottish Water has recently opened a new £1.8 million water treatment works. Through an enhanced treatment process the works is now providing fresh, clear drinking water to the communities of Innerleithen, Walkerburn and Cardrona.

Youngsters at St Ronan’s Primary School were involved in the run-up to the event. They created their own piece of art, which was unveiled at the event. It is a frieze based around the theme of water and includes clay fish at its centrepiece. There are plans for it to go on display locally.

Headteacher Keith Belleville said: “The primary two pupils have been learning all about the water cycle and we were very pleased to be involved in this exciting project.

“As well as the scientific learning, the children enjoyed creating a fantastic frieze to represent water and what it means to us. This wonderful piece of children’s art will eventually go on permanent display in school.

Bill Elliot, Scottish Water’s community team manager for the Borders, said: “Everyone living and working in the Borders depends on Scottish Water services day to day, however, the nature of our work means that much of what we do is out of sight. That’s why we decided to hold a community event in Innerleithen to highlight the scale of our work in the region.

“Our photo competition has been a great way of engaging with young people and schools in the area in a creative way, getting them to focus on the River Tweed while at the same time learning about Scottish Water’s important work.

“We were very impressed by the quality of images submitted to our photo competition, which showed just what a beautiful river the Tweed is. It was very difficult choosing the winners but congratulations to Will, Fearghas and Anna for capturing some stunning photographs.” Scottish Water investments in the Borders highlighted at the event included a new £500,000 waste water pumping station at Cardrona. This energy efficient station will help protect the River Tweed environment.

At Caddonfoot a £1.7 million waste water treatment works was built to serve Caddonfoot and Clovenfords, replacing an old septic tank and providing additional customer capacity.

“This is a significant investment by Scottish Water to ensure we provide the best possible services in the Borders well into the future,” said Mr Elliot. “Not only does this package of work help us to deliver the highest possible quality of drinking water for our customers, but it will also ensure our treatment of waste water operates in harmony with the beautiful natural environment of the region – and in particular the River Tweed, which is of course at the heart of communities across the region.”