MATERIALS testing specialist Exova has won three contracts to carry out work on the new Doha Metro in Qatar.

The company, which has its headquarters in Edinburgh and employs around 220 people across Scotland, said the value of the work will total more than £3.7 million.

It includes materials testing, fire safety engineering and consultancy for the metro system which is expected to stretch for more than 130 miles and serve 85 stations around Qatar's capital.

Exova said the contracts, which will last up to three years, includes a range of bespoke services including on-site and laboratory testing to do soil and environmental chemical analysis.

Hicham Abdallah, the managing director of Exova for Middle East, Asia and Asia Pacific, said: "These are extensive and technically demanding programmes which Exova is well placed to deliver."

Exova has already worked on Middle East transport projects such as the Dubai Metro and Saudi Arabia's 281-mile high speed Haramain railway.

The first phase of the Doha Metro is scheduled to open in 2019 with the full four lines in operation by 2026.