Water safety patrols starting
Trossachs and Teith community police constables along with Scottish Fire and Rescue Service colleagues are starting to carry out joint water safety patrols in the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park area.
The last few years have seen a number of drownings occur in waterways and beauty spots across the National Park and the wider Stirling area, as well as across Scotland.
Among them was a 14-year-old schoolgirl who died in hospital after getting into difficulty in the River Teith, near Bridge of Allan last summer.
And in 2021 a 34-year-old man died after getting into difficulty at
Loch Lubnaig, near Callander, where a 10-year-old boy had tragically drowned the previous year.
Bracklinn Falls near Callander, a popular beauty spot, was also the site of fatality in 2019, but had also seen a number of incidents involving people getting into trouble in the water.
A group was set up in 2019 including police, fire, search and rescue, national park and council officials in a bid to tackle safety issues following the drowning, and police and fire and rescue personnel who took the safety message out to local schools and groups were praised by councillors.
A police spokesperson said this week:“the coming months are expected to see a vast increase in the number of visitors to our lochs and rivers.
“During this time, we also experience an increase in the number of emergency calls for people who get into difficulty in the water.
“Some of these incidents sadly end in tragedy.
“If you are planning on visiting the Loch Lomond and Trossachs
National Park area, or any other river, loch or reservoir, please visit one of our partner agencies websites for advice on water safety.”
Advice can be found at http://ow. ly/r75t50nimf6 or http://ow.ly/