Over £3m is to be invested by NI Water in the Magherafelt, it has been announced.

The investment, announced at the Magherafelt Council meeting last week, relates to a number of schemes that are already underway or planned to commence within this financial year.

The work includes the upgrade of Draperstown Wastewater Treatment Works, improvements to Maghera sewerage system and the upgrade of Straw Village Wastewater Pumping Station.

Chris Mellor, NI Water's Chairman and Chief Executive said: "NI Water's main concern is updating our existing infrastructure and providing quality water and wastewater services.

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"I am confident that over the next few years this investment will bring tremendous sustainable benefits to households, local industry, businesses and tourism."

Paul Davison, Water Procurement, said: "NI Water has earmarked on a number of projects to begin within the next year to improve services provided to customers in the Magherafelt area.

"There is an urgent need to address the issues arising from the legacy of under-investment to enable us to match or exceed performance levels of similar UK water companies by 2015. For a number of reasons, money that should have been spent on water and sewerage down the years was not."

NI Water will have invested £492m in wastewater treatment and collection systems and £174m in water treatment and storage systems by next year.

(PR/JM)