Engineers have completed nerve-racking repairs beneath the Kessock Bridge after a vital water main sprung a leak.
Two members of contractor Access, Lifting, Pulling and Safety (ALPS) abseiled down from the A9 crossing to reach the problem.
The water main supplies clear, fresh drinking water to properties on the Black Isle.
Descending around 98 feet above the firth, the team battled the elements to fit a clamp to the burst main and restore it to running order.
Bruce Farrell from Inverness was part of the ALPS team undertaking the feat.
He said: “It’s not for everyone. Some days it’s the best office in the world, but not always.
“I’ve carried out a lot of work on the Kessock Bridge in recent years, so I know it really well.
“People often ask if you get a chance to enjoy the view on a sunny day, but you spend most of the time beneath the road, so you don’t see much of the sunshine.
“You do see the bridge in a completely different way.
“It’s an amazing structure, designed to withstand potential earthquakes on the Great Glen Fault.”
Following the outage, households were kept supplied with water from the Assynt Water Treatment Works, near Evanton, via the Black Isle water network.
The repairs were coordinated by Scottish Water’s water response team.
Team manager Colin Green said: “It’s vital that we were able to get this essential repair completed, restoring the normal water supply to our customers in this part of the Black Isle. “
