Man charged over major Moray wildfire will not face court action

The fire near the village of Kingston was in March last year

A man charged over a major wildfire in Moray will not face court action, it has been revealed.

The blaze broke out in gorse at the mouth of the River Spey near the village of Kingston in March last year and took dozens of firefighters almost seven hours to extinguish.

A 31-year-old man was charged over the blaze.

The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service said it had now decided that proceedings would not be pursued.

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A statement said: "The procurator fiscal received a report relating to a 31-year old man and an incident said to have occurred on 30 March 2021, at Kingston, Fochabers.

"After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, the procurator fiscal decided that there should be no proceedings taken at this time."

The statement added: "The Crown reserves the right to proceed in the future should further evidence become available."

Firefighters brought in six appliances and a water carrier to help put the fire out.