Transco is to be prosecuted over the deaths of four members of the same family in a gas explosion more than two years ago.

The Crown Office said it would take the action on Thursday, following the deaths of Andrew Findlay, 34, his wife Janette, 36, and their children Stacey, 13, and Daryl, 11, in a gas blast at their Larkhall home in 1999.

The Scottish prosecution service said it was taking culpable homicide proceedings against the gas distribution network.

The decision follows the results of investigations by the Hamilton Procurator Fiscal, and reports by the Health and Safety Executive and the police.

A joist is moved from the debris

Proceedings will be taken in the High Court on a charge of culpable homicide with a contravention of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 as an alternative.

A trial date has yet to be fixed, and if found guilty the company could face an unlimited fine.

The decision to prosecute follows months of investigation by the legal authorities.

The HSE submitted its report into the blast to the procurator fiscal in September 2000.

After carrying out its own investigations, the fiscal's office in Hamilton instructed Strathclyde Police in February 2001 to carry out further inquiries into the circumstances leading up to the explosion.

Charges brought

A team of police officers drawn from force's fraud and serious crime squads interviewed many witnesses from across the country.

In July 2001, the results of these investigations were reported to the procurator fiscal's office, which submitted detailed reports to the Crown Office in August and September 2001.

A final report was called for by the Crown, following which the decision was taken to bring charges.

Fire crews were met with a scene of devastation

A Transco spokesman said: "Transco has only just heard of today's decision to prosecute the company over the explosion in Larkhall in December 1999 in which four people tragically died.

"The procurator fiscal has taken more than two years to investigate the matter which is highly technical in nature.

"Immediately this tragedy occurred, Transco committed to co-operate fully with the investigating authorities and to implement any lessons learned.

"That is precisely what we have done throughout.

"The decision to prosecute is obviously a very serious matter, but as this is now the subject of legal proceedings it is not possible at this stage to comment further."

The Crown Office said relatives had been fully informed of all developments throughout the various stages of the inquiry by the procurator fiscal's office."