Caoimhe Donnelly, a primary 6 pupil, was selected as the winner of a competition to name the machine with her suggestion of The Crookie Monster.

The tunnel boring machine (TBM) has recently removed earth and rocks to create a 50-metre-long tunnel under the Levern Water to enable a small section of a new water main to be installed 12 metres below the surface.

The machine took seven days to complete the tunnelling before work started on the installation of the new pipe.

The water mains network is being improved in the south west of Glasgow by installing more than seven miles of new pipes and the installation of a section of it below the Levern Water is a key part of that.

The overall project, called the Glasgow Resilience Project, will connect the Glasgow area’s network and the system in Ayrshire to increase resilience and protect supplies for customers. The new water main is being installed in the Ibrox, Mosspark, Pollok, Priesthill, Nitshill and Parkhouse areas of Glasgow.

The design of the new network incorporates carbon reducing construction materials and methods including innovative self-restraining pipe. Solar panels will also offset the power demands at the new Ibrox pumping station, with the new mains using gravity to reduce power use by 60 per cent.

CWA is working together with Scottish Water to deliver the project.

Caomhie was presented with a laminated certificate for naming the four-metre-long TBM in a competition that was open to all pupils at the school. The competition was preceded by site visits and site safety talks at the school during which the children were able to find out more about the project including how to remain safe around a construction site.

CWA’s customer and communications manager, Paul Milligan, said: “The project is right on their doorstep - it’s been great to have the opportunity to engage so much with the school.

“We had a great day with the pupils during a recent site visit, they came up with some excellent questions. Caoimhie chose a fantastic name for the boring machine - everyone was glad to see The Crookie Monster successfully reappear on the other side of the Levern Water.

“A lot of the pupils pass the site on their way to school so we were delighted to have had them visit the project and we hope it might inspire some of them to find out more about a career in engineering in years to come.”

It is expected this multi-million-pound project will be completed by 2023 - it is the third stage of an overall project which has already delivered improvements in Ayrshire.