A MAJOR £2.2m action plan to tackle flooding on the A8 in Greenock is set to be put in place.

Scottish Water has announced a major investment to deal with the the root problems which cause disruption on the main road into Greenock year-in, year-out and lead to traffic chaos.

Under the design solution, a new screened sewer overflow is to be put in place at Lady Burn and new pipework will be installed under the A8 and into the watercourse on the opposite side of the carriageway.

A planning application for the work has been submitted to the council and it is expected to be given the go ahead so that work can begin before the end of the year.

It is hoped the engineering project will end the repeated deluges which see the road - used by over 30,000 vehicles every day - frequently blocked.

But drivers are being warned that they will have to put up with roadworks while it is carried out.

Georgina Reid of Scottish Water said: “It’s not an easy project.

"More than 33,000 vehicles use that road every day and we have been working closely with Transport Scotland, Inverclyde Council and other partners to develop plans to minimise any disruption.

“This is an important project and will deliver significant benefits to the area.

"We are committed to working with our stakeholders and the community as the project progresses.”

Proposals to tackle flooding on the A8 have been on the table for some time.

The current infrastructure has regularly been overwhelmed in heavy rain, with an incident last August blocking both sides of the dual carriageway.

An ambulance which was on a 999 call was forced to drive onto the pavement to get through as cars became stuck.

A total of nine options were looked at before experts settled on the construction of the new screen overflow outfall.

It will be located beside the IBM office building with a pipe running under the A8, through the council depot car park and into the watercourse.

The project will be undertaken by Scottish Water’s partners Caledonia Water Alliance.