Works underway to bring back petrol station in Newcastleton

The journey to the nearest petrol station is costing £300 per car every year Credit: ITV Border

Demolition work gets underway at a derelict petrol station in Newcastleton today, following a community effort to buy and rebuild the site.

Residents of the Scottish Borders village say they've faced a 90 minute journey to their nearest petrol station for the past eight years.

The Newcastleton and District Community Trust, set up to improve the lives of those in the community, secured funding from the Scottish Land Fund to buy the site.

It estimates the journey to the nearest petrol station is costing £300 per car every year.

The project is also funded by Scottish Borders Council, Scottish Enterprise Rural Petrol Station Grant Scheme, Scottish Landfill Communities Fund, Transport Scotland, and Big Lottery Community Assets Fund.

The new petrol station will dispense unleaded and diesel fuel through unmanned automated pumps.

It will be open from 7am to 7pm, seven days a week on a not-for-profit basis.There will also be electric vehicle charging points.

It is hoped that fuel will return to Newcastleton in February 2018.