The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Lifeboat rescues boy, 11, stranded by rising tide
Youngster thought to have been up to his neck before crews reached him
A boy cut off by the rapidly rising tide and precariously perched on a sewage pipe was rescued by a Fife lifeboat crew.
The terrified 11-year-old was stranded by the incoming water at Portobello on Saturday afternoon.
It is thought the water had been up to his neck at one point before rescuers got to him.
Emergency services including Fisherrow coastguard team and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service were dispatched when the alarm was raised shortly before 3.20pm.
Kinghorn RNLI lifeboat lifted the youngster from on top of a sewage outfall pipe at the east end of the beach, with water up to his waist.
Lifeboat helmsman Scott McIlravie said: “We arrived on scene to find the boy in the water up to his waist.
“It appeared he had been up to his neck at some point, and he was very cold.
“We managed to get the lifeboat alongside where we got him into the boat and he was taken ashore to an ambulance crew.
“This boy was lucky but fortunately many other emergency services including Fisherrow coastguard rescue team, fire service, and ambulance responded.
“They had thrown a rope and lifejacket to his aid before we arrived.
“We understand that he had not suffered any injuries because of this incident.”
Scott, whose crew included Mark Brown, Megan Davidson, Paul Stather and tractor driver Steven Robinson, issued a warning to beach goers to be aware of the incoming tide.
He said: “When visiting the beach, we would always recommend checking the tide and being aware of beach hazards such as isolated rocks and pipes which the tide can come in around.”