'No evidence' major fuel spill in Killin was caused by botched robbery

There is no evidence that a major fuel spill in Perthshire was caused by a botched robbery, police have said.

STV News understands that detectives have found nothing to suggest that any theft, attempted theft or vandalism took place at a petrol station outside the village of Killin.

The Gulf Lix Toll site is the source of thousands of litres of diesel that escaped a container that flowed into the River Dochart and then into Loch Tay.

The spill on Thursday, February 19, contaminated tap water and disrupted the lives and livelihoods of 500 homes and businesses.

Certas Energy, which operates the temporarily closed Gulf Lix Toll petrol station, claimed the diesel spill was caused by a botched robbery.

But police investigating found no evidence of any criminality.

In a new statement a spokesperson for Certas claimed that “initial indications strongly suggested an attempted theft took place”.

It is not clear what these “indications” are. STV News requested an interview but this was declined.

However, Certas has said that “other possible explanations” have since emerged, including the activity of a third-party contractor on site.

The Scottish Environment Protection Agency is continuing to investigate the fuel spill, alongside Police Scotland.

The diesel was spotted in the River Dochart Rob Jamieson

A compensation fund has been set up for those who were impacted by the contamination.

Support is available to those who have experienced physical damage to property, personal injury, or incurred financial loss.

Businesses in the area have been urged to contact their own insurers, who can then engage with the fund administrators.

A Certas spokesperson said: “We would like to apologise once again to the local community for the concern and disruption this incident has caused, and to thank them for their patience and understanding as we continue to work on environmental remediation in the local area.”