HIGHLAND Spring overtook French giant Evian to become the biggest-selling bottled water brand in the UK by volume in 2012, with sales of nearly 200 million litres, market research by Zenith International shows.

Perthshire-based Highland Spring, which sponsors Scottish Olympic gold medal-winning cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and was founded in 1979, declared its flagship brand's ascent to first position signalled the end of 30 years' domination of the UK market by "imported multinational brands".

The Zenith figures cover still and sparkling water.

Highland Spring, which is owned by chairman and founder Mahdi Mohammed Al-Tajir and his family and is based at Blackford, said its flagship brand had long been number one in the sparkling water category.

It noted its share of the UK sparkling bottled water market, by volume, was nearly twice that of its nearest competitor. A Highland Spring spokeswoman said Evian had remained the biggest seller in the still segment of the UK bottled water market in 2012.

The Highland Spring brand raised sales volumes in the UK by 9% in 2012, ahead of overall market growth of 4.7%. Highland Spring said the UK market share of its flagship brand rose to 10.6% in 2012, from 10.2% in 2011, based on Zenith's data and excluding water cooler sales.

Highland Spring Group chief executive Les Montgomery said: "This is a British success story that we're incredibly proud of. We have fulfilled one of our long-term ambitions of becoming the UK's biggest-selling bottled water brand, and we are now looking forward to the next chapter.

"European brands have long dominated the UK bottled water category, having played a pivotal role in its development in the 1970s."

Citing "residual goodwill" from the London 2012 Olympics and Queen's Diamond Jubilee, he added: "I believe we are seeing a sustained wave of support for British brands."