Coastal search off after ‘board’ was just wood

A search along a section of Fife coast has been called off – after a “paddleboard” found in the water turned out to be a plank of wood.

Anstruther’s RNLI lifeboat, along with coastguard teams from Leven and St Andrews, were involved in the search near Elie and Earlsferry.

It came after police received reports of a paddleboard floating in the Forth – without anyone on board.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “It’s been confirmed that a large piece of wood was mistaken for a paddleboard.”

A spokesperson for HM Coastguard said: “There was no one with the board and there were concerns that someone may have been in difficulty.”