River diesel spill 'clearing' but water still not safe - watchdog

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BBC A river flows through jagged black rocks with white foam on the surface. Houses line up by the river wall on the left and trees overhang the water on the right.BBC

The diesel spillage entered the River Dochart near Killin on Friday

A diesel spillage into the River Dochart which flowed into the River Tay in Perthshire appears to be clearing, the environment watchdog has said.

During a visual inspection, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (Sepa) said the east end of Loch Tay was clear and no impacts could be seen in the River Tay, from Kenmore to Aberfeldy.

It has put containment measures in place but warned residents in the village of Killin that the water is still not safe to drink.

Volunteers have handed out about 40,000 bottles of water since the spillage, which a local petrol station blamed on an attempted fuel theft which damaged one of its fuel tanks.

The problem was reported on Friday after locals experiencing a strong solvent taste in their water and in the air outside.

Scottish Water warned that despite teams working "around the clock" since the alarm was raised to flush the system, it would take "several days" for the water supply to return to normal.

Local MSP Evelyn Tweed said there had been reports of "bogus plumbers approaching residents".

She added: "We are working closely with the police to ensure customers are aware of this."

Scottish Water said it had only engaged Speedy Plumbers to support customers.

Fuel spill hits Perthshire river on Friday

Water operations general manager John Griffen said more than 100 workers were advising households and businesses on an individual level.

He added: "Our teams are flushing the network using tankers and carrying out continuous sampling and testing at our dedicated laboratories to closely monitor and analyse water quality.

"The sample results inform every decision we take, and only when we are satisfied that there is no risk to customers, will we change our guidance."

Google Maps Gulf petrol station with a blue canopy over multiple fuel pumps beside a roadside, with cars parked at the forecourt, a shop building behind, green hills in the background, and a partly cloudy sky.Google Maps

The operators of the petrol station said an attempted theft had damaged a fuel tank

People have been urged not to use tap water for anything other than flushing toilets.

This includes drinking, cooking, washing, brushing teeth, feeding pets and the use of appliances such as coffee and ice machines that are connected to the mains supply.

Boiling the water will not make it safe to drink.

Sepa's national duty manager Wendy Thornton said: "Containment, currently in the form of booms and absorbent materials, has been put in place upstream close to the source of the spill.

"However, some oil may bypass the containment and there is still some oil present in upstream watercourses.

"We expect pockets of oil may continue to get washed downstream for some time.

"Sepa will continue to closely monitor the situation and work with local authorities and Scottish Water to help manage any impacts.

"Any impacts are most likely to be seen in the small watercourses next to the site of the spill."

Scottish Water A large tanker adds water to the mains supply via a large blue pipeScottish Water

Water was being added to the local network to flush the pipe system

Perth and Kinross Council said there had been no reports of any sightings of fuel sheen in the River Tay or Loch Tay since Saturday afternoon.

However it said monitoring of the loch and river would continue for some time.

Anyone who does see or smell fuel in the river or loch is urged to report it to Sepa.

A spokesperson said there were no concerns about the public drinking water supply in the Perth and Kinross Council area, since Killin is part of the Stirling Council area.

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