Hundreds sign Fife death quarry petition after latest tragedy

Call made for quarry to be filled in before any more lives are needlessly lost

Hundreds of people have signed a petition calling for a Fife death quarry to be filled in.

It follows the tragic death of motherof-one Kelda Henderson, pictured right,who drowned during a dive at Preston Hill Quarry in Inverkeithing on Sunday.

Ms Henderson, 36, was the third person to lose her life at the quarry in as many years.

The petition, started by Fife resident Alison Carnegie, had gathered more than 500 signatures just 24 hours after being set up.

It states: “How many lives must be lost before someone takes action?

“Our thoughts are with all involved, past and present.

“It’s the worst feeling seeing a helicopter searching in the night sky in the quarry. Please empty the place and fill it in.”

It is understood Ms Henderson, a drama teacher at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, got into difficulty during an organised night dive and her diving companion was unable to reach her.

The emergency services were called to the scene straight away but could not save her and the search was suspended overnight.

Search teams eventually pulled Ms Henderson’s body from the water on Monday morning.

The flooded quarry previously claimed the lives of two young men in the space of a year.

In June 2015 18-year-old John McKay drowned at the flooded quarry and in August 2014 Cameron Lancaster, also 18, lost his life when an ice bucket challenge went wrong.

Amid the calls to have the pond drained, a consortium called Prestonhill Developments has been formed to take forward plans for a diving centre at the site, and housing in the surrounding area.

How many lives must be lost before someone takes action?

Picture: Steven Brown. Emergency services working at the scene on Sunday.