Drinking water contamination was caused by 'botched fuel robbery'

The utility company said its specialist incident management team went to the River Dochart, where the local treatment works draws water from, and closed the intake.

Samples are being taken from the water network.

Certas Energy, which operates the Gulf Lix Toll site near the village, confirmed that the major incident was caused by a botched diesel robbery at the temporarily closed petrol station.

The attempted theft caused damage to a fuel tank, resulting in a loss of diesel, which leaked into the nearby river.

A spokesperson for Certas Energy said: “Certas Energy, operator of the Gulf Lix Toll site at Killin, is as concerned as everyone else at the impact of this incident on the local community and the local environment. This is our priority.

“We were informed of a fuel loss at the site on Friday morning following an attempted robbery which damaged one of our fuel tanks. Equipment was found on site that suggested there was an attempt to steal diesel from the tank.

“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.”

Killin Community Council shared an update from the village’s resilience team, which is working with Scottish Water.

Residents have been advised not to drink tap water until further notice.

The water supply to Killin has now been shut down while the system is being cleaned and flushed. Water tankers will be brought into the village to provide a temporary supply.

Scottish Water’s head of customer water services John Griffen said: “We appreciate the inconvenience this advice not to use water will bring to people and businesses in the affected areas, but at all times our priority has to be the protection of public health.

“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.”