Hopes are fading fast for the future of Diageo's Johnnie Walker bottling plant in Kilmarnock after a new report labelled the closure as "sensible".

According to reports, a study by BDO Stoy Hayward investigating possible alternatives to the closure of the plant found in favour of Diageo's decision.

Diageo announced in July that it would cut more than 700 packaging jobs out of a total of 900 redundancies at its Scottish operation to ensure long-term sustainability.

The Kilmarnock packing plant in Ayreshire will be closed by the end of 2011 and Diageo will consolidate packing operations with its other facilities in Glasgow and Fife.

The report was leaked to Scottish newspaper The Daily Record following a Scottish Enterprise task force meeting last night.

It claims the report said: "The options Diageo have considered for packaging restructuring and the reasons/logic for selecting the preferred option appear sensible."

The Daily Record wrote that the report outlines two options; the slimming down of the existing bottling hall or the building of a new, smaller plant in Kilmarnock.

A Diageo spokesperson said: "It is reassuring that the options presented by BDO were previously identified, examined and ultimately rejected as part of the comprehensive review we undertook prior to announcing our restructuring proposals in July."

Diageo's spokesperson said the company anticipates further consultations with the Scottish Government and stakeholders on the implications of these options.

"In the meantime, we continue to be in a formal consultation process with our employees and their representatives, and we remain committed to supporting our workforce during this difficult time."

Last month more than 20,000 protestors marched through Kilmarnock against Diageo's planned closure of the bottling site.