Villagers warned not to drink tap water after oil spills into river
Perthshire residents have been strictly advised not to drink tap water until further notice following a “major contamination incident” in the River Dochart.
Killin Community council said the water supply to Killin was shut off while the system was cleaned and flushed. This follows reports of oil in the river on Thursday evening.
A Stirling Council spokesman said: Independent: “We can confirm that we are aware of potential local water contamination in Kilin and are working with Scottish Water and SEPA to determine the extent of this. The information provided by Scottish Water will inform further steps to respond to affected council services and properties.”
“Bottled drinking water is provided to Scottish Water residents on site. We will provide further updates as more information becomes available. In the meantime, residents are advised to check Scottish Water’s website for the latest updates.”
Scottish Water took immediate action to close access to the treatment works on Friday morning and samples are being taken from the water network.
Homeowners and businesses are advised not to use tap water for drinking, preparing or washing food, feeding babies, brushing teeth, bathing or feeding pets until further notice.
Any drinks and ice dispensers should also be avoided as they can be connected to the mains. Boiling does not make water drinkable. During this event, mains water can only be used to flush the toilet.
Scottish Water’s head of customer water services, John Griffen, said: “We appreciate the inconvenience that the advice not to use water will bring to people and businesses in affected areas, but our priority must always be the protection of public health.
“The incident management team continues to monitor the situation by liaising with the NHS and SEPA. We will keep our customers informed regularly but we anticipate this disruption will last for a number of days and we thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we work to restore stock.”
A spokesman for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) said: “SEPA received numerous reports of oil in the River Dochart near Killin on Thursday evening and overnight.
“Officers were at the scene this morning (Friday, February 20) to identify the source and inquiries are ongoing.
“We would like to thank those who reported the incident to SEPA and ask anyone who witnessed the pollution incident to immediately call 0800 80 70 60 or contact us. submit report online “With as much information as possible.”
An information point for customer support is located at McLaren Hall, Main Street, Killin, FK21 8TN.
Bottled water collection points are being established and their locations will be confirmed shortly and distributed in due course.
Door-to-door deliveries of bottled water for all customers will begin this afternoon, and customers will receive a hand-delivered letter each day informing them of progress towards restoring normal supplies.
The council advised people to continue sharing this information with their neighbors and anyone who does not have access to social media, especially anyone who needs support.
The local governing body is also asking residents to check on anyone who may need help.
Further updates will follow on the council’s Facebook page as soon as they are available.
