The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Appeal to public after clothing left at beach sparks alarm call
Wet items near Angus cliffs led to lifeboats being launched
Angus RNLI chiefs have made a plea over coastal safety after discarded clothes sparked a weekend alarm call.
The wet clothing was found in the Deil’s Heid area of Arbroath cliffs as Taysiders flocked to popular coastal spots in the soaring temperatures.
A member of the public raised the alarm just after 2.30pm on Saturday, fearing the two sets of clothing might belong to swimmers who were in trouble in the sea.
Arbroath RNLI inshore and allweather lifeboats were launched and carried out an hour-long search of the area before being stood down.
It is thought the clothing had been left behind by someone who had gone into the water.
Arbroath lifeboat operations manager Alex Smith said: “Thankfully, on this occasion it turned out to be a false alarm, however the person who raised the alarm did absolutely the right thing and we encourage anyone who has concerns to dial 999.
“We urge members of the public just to take a moment and think about doing something like leaving clothes behind on shore as this can result in emergency services being tasked as we saw at the weekend, which may impact on a genuine emergency elsewhere.”
The Arbroath cliffs call-out incident was part of a weekend of gridlock at Courier Country beauty spots, with cars blocking roads at busy locations including the Angus glens and beaches including Lunan Bay, Broughty Ferry and Burntisland.
There were reports of daytrippers being abusive towards locals as tempers frayed, with people reportedly doing the toilet at the roadside and throwing away parking cones put down to prevent traffic problems.