SCOTTISH Water agreed yesterday to reroute a planned sewage pipe to protect rare seaweed beds in waters off the Isle of Arran.
It had planned to run an outfall through maerl - a form of coral-like seaweed - in Lamlash Bay. However, campaigners warned the plans would damage a rare habitat and frustrate their plans to regenerate the bay.
Scottish Water estimates it will cost (pounds) 170,000 to alter the course of the pipeline.
Cheryl Black, customer service director, said: ''This whole project is aimed at helping to clean up the waters around Arran.
''Once it was confirmed that this rare maerl bed could be at risk, we have endeavoured to explore all the possibilities for accommodating this into our plans.''
The scheme is part of a major (pounds) 14m waste water improvement scheme.
Don Macneish, chairman of the Community of Arran Seabed Trust, formed by local divers concerned about sealife in the bay, said he was delighted that Scottish Water had changed its plans.
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