A secret by-product from whisky is used by researchers to clean contaminated ground and waste water.

The team at the University of Aberdeen believe they have a new technique, potentially worth millions of pounds.

They say the Device for the Remediation and Attenuation of Multiple pollutants (Dram) has major potential in industry.

The Glenfiddich distillery in Speyside has helped researchers get to this stage by donating the by-product, the nature of which is being kept secret.

The University of Aberdeen said it was estimated that there were 330,000 contaminated sites in the UK.

These include former industrial areas, small dry cleaning firms, car servicing companies, large refineries and chemical plants.

More...