With the giant reels of water pipe arriving from Denmark, the long-awaited operation to lay the new Cross Solent Main under the seabed gets underway

The transport barge NP300, which was towed by the tug Charlotte W, is docked alongside the pipe-laying barge the Pontra Maris

Divers have been lowered from the barge to connect the first pipe to the main on the seabed, which will link the central section to Gurnard on the Isle of Wight

Southern Water’s Supply Manager David Nye looks on as the good weather allows the laying operation to progress well

The pipe, which is filled with water to help it sink, is lowered through a ‘tube’ on the side of the Pontra Maris, to the seabed where high pressure jetting is used to create a channel

Within the space of a few weeks the long-awaited pipes will be buried safely under the seabed – ready to be disinfected and put into operation to supply the Isle of Wight