A Crown Office delay in publishing a report into the Jim Clark Rally crash which killed three people has put the future of the event in jeopardy, it has been claimed.

Organisers of the Jim Clark Rally, which was staged annually in the Scottish Borders, say they are “descending into despair of ever running this world-famous event again”.

Meanwhile, they claimed volunteers who helped at the rally have been left “living on their nerves for over two years wondering whether they are going to be subject to criminal charges” as they accused the Crown Office of having “failed to meet a reasonable timescale” to investigate the incident.

Event chairman Dan Wright has written to both First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and the new lord advocate James Wolffe QC on the issue, as well as MSPs on Holyrood’s Justice Committee, who are carrying out an inquiry into the work of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS).

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It comes after three spectators were killed when a car came off the road at the event on May 31, 2014.

Iain Provan, 64, his partner Elizabeth Allan, 63, and Len Stern, 71, were fatally injured when a car taking part in the race spun off the course and ploughed into the crowd, in what was the second crash at the rally that day.

Mr Wright told MSPs on the Justice Committee that the police report into the incident had been submitted to the Lord Advocate “around April 2015” and that organisers have “consistently urged” Scotland’s most senior law officer to come to a conclusion.

Victims: Len Stern, Elizabeth Allan and her partner Iain Provan all died.

“The consequences of the delay are that the future of the event is at risk, and volunteers are still living on their nerves, not knowing whether they might be subject to prosecution,” the letter said.

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“I believe the Crown Office has singularly failed to give the inquiry the priority it warrants, has failed to meet a reasonable time-scale in coming to a conclusion concerning this incident, has failed to keep those affected informed, and consequently has not served the public as it should.”

Mr Wright also claimed that “despite our requests to solicit information, Scottish ministers seem not to be prepared to scrutinise the Crown Office in its delivery of service”.

Raising the issue with the First Minister he said: “This letter is not an attempt to influence the outcome of, or comment on the circumstances of the incident.

“It is a plea to you to ask the Lord Advocate to come to a conclusion quickly so the organisers can attempt to rescue the event.

“We have now been waiting over two years and our team is descending into despair of ever running this world famous event again.”

Cordon: Police close off streets around the event in 2014. PA

He told her the rally had been one of the biggest events of its kind in the UK and was “by far the biggest in Scotland” and that it has the “overwhelming support of the public, local communities and businesses” in the area.

“Scottish Borders Council (SBC) estimates it generates over £3m of its annual £21m tourist income and our development plans aim to raise this to around #7 million over the next few years,” Mr Wright stated.

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“We were well on track to take it forward as a major international event and showcase for Scotland.

“However, the current position of SBC is that it will not allow council officials to engage with us in planning until the Crown Office investigation is complete. Police Scotland also refuses to co-operate for the same reason.”

A Crown Office spokesman said: “We will not compromise thoroughness for speed.

“A detailed and thorough investigation has been undertaken into these deaths, under the direction of the Crown’s Health & Safety Division and the Scottish Fatalities Investigation Unit (SFIU).

“It would not be appropriate to comment publicly on the current state of the investigation without providing that information to bereaved family members first.”