Drinking water contamination caused by theft attempt at petrol station

A diesel spillage into the River Dochart which could leave residents in a Perthshire village without water for "several days" was caused by an attempted fuel theft at a petrol station, its operators have said.

Residents in Killin have been warned by Scottish Water not to use tap water for anything other than flushing toilets after the contamination affected a water treatment plant.

People reported the problem after experiencing a strong solvent taste in their water and in the air outside.

A spokesperson for Certas Energy, who operates the GULF Lix Toll site at Killin, said they were informed of a "fuel loss" on Friday morning following an "attempted theft which damaged one of our fuel tanks".

"Equipment was found on site that suggested there was an attempt to steal diesel from the tank," they added.

The spokesperson said they were "as concerned as everyone else" and that dealing with the impact of the incident was their "priority".

"We are now investigating to fully understand what happened, are engaging with the police, Sepa, the Health and Safety Executive and other specialists at the site. These investigations are ongoing," they said.

They were unable to confirm how the fuel entered the river, and if the leak had been contained.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said it had received several reports of contamination in the river on Thursday evening and overnight.

Scottish Water said it had closed intake to a water treatment works which had been affected and warned people not to use water from their taps.

Killin Community Council also posted on its Facebook page that residents were advised not to drink the tap water until further notice.

It described the event as "a major contamination incident" and said water tankers would be brought into the village to provide a temporary supply.

Scottish Water said it was taking samples of the water and advised people in the village not to use their tap water "for any purpose".

It said some 500 homes and businesses had been affected and water could only be used for flushing toilets - warning that boiling the contaminated water would not make it safe for other uses.

Scottish Water's head of customer water services, John Griffen, said: "The incident management team is continuing to monitor the situation, liaising with NHS and Sepa.

"We will update customers regularly, however, we do anticipate this disruption to last several days, and thank customers for their patience and understanding while we work to restore their supply."

Scottish Water said it was arranging fresh water to be brought to Killin by tanker, and door-to-door bottled water deliveries would be carried out on Friday afternoon.

Jayne Kerr, practice manager at Infinity Blu Dental Care in Killin, said it had decided to close because of the spillage, despite being fully booked with patients.

"As soon as we heard that there was an issue, we decided that we were not going to open the practice," she said.

"We didn't want to bring the water into the practice and then contaminate the pipes or anything like that or our equipment."

"It doesn't look like it's going to be a quick fix, so we're in talks with the health board just now, just checking to see when it's going to be safe for us to be able to open back up again."

Village resident Charlie Grant said he realised something was wrong with the water in his kitchen.

"This morning when I got up I made myself a cup of tea and then as I filled my flask with hot water I discovered that there was a strong smell of chemicals - paraffin, diesel - I wasn't sure, poured it out and I never had any water to drink this morning at all after that," he said.

He added that he could also smell the contamination in the air outside his home and reported it to the water authorities.

Rob Jamieson, who runs a fishing trip business on the loch, said he noticed the smell of diesel from the water on Thursday afternoon.

"I headed down to the bridge in the village and the smell would have turned your stomach with diesel," he said.

"And you could see the water was grey and slick and covered in the rainbow effect.

"It was just pouring down the river."

Stirling Council said it was aware of a "potential localised water contamination" and was "liaising with Scottish Water and Sepa to establish the extent" of problem.

A spokesperson said: "We will provide a further update when more information becomes available. In the meantime, residents are advised to check Scottish Water's website for the latest updates."

Scottish Water said the following postcodes had been affected by the spill.

It added that water from other reservoirs and treatment works was not affected, so people living in postcode areas other than those listed below could use their supplies as normal.

FK21 8TQ

FK21 8TN

FK21 8XD

FK21 8UY

FK21 8SH

FK21 8TB

FK21 8UT

FK21 8XA

FK21 8TD

FK21 8US

FK21 8UJ

FK21 8UW

FK21 8UR

FK21 8SW

FK21 8UZ

FK21 8UX

FK21 8TG

FK21 8TH

FK21 8UN

FK21 8TE

FK21 8XB

FK21 8SJ

FK21 8TL

FK21 8UH

FK21 8TF

FK21 8SS

FK21 8SN

FK21 8UL

FK21 8TJ

FK21 8SR

FK21 8TA

FK21 8SL

FK21 8XE

FK21 8TT

FK21 8TX

FK21 8TU

FK21 8TS

FK21 8TP

More information is available via Scottish Water's website and customers can also call 0800 0778 778 for help.

An information point for customer support is being located at McLaren Hall, Main Street, Killin, FK21 8TN.