'It's a lot of resource going to rescue two guys out fishing in the middle of a storm'

Oban Lifeboat racing through the storm. Picture: Moira Kerr

Rescue leaders whose volunteer teams were called out in Storm Aiden are urging people not to risk lives and to think twice before heading for the water.

Jim Williams, station officer of the remote Ross of Mull Coastguard Team and Oban RNLI Lifeboat Coxswain Ally Cerexhe, made the appeal after call outs in horrendous weather.

Oban lifeboat launched in gale force winds and driving rain on Saturday afternoon to help four anglers whose fishing boat had broken down in Loch Etive.

While the lifeboat was taking the men to safety, three coastguard teams and a helicopter were called to assist two visitors, who were stranded while fishing on an uninhabited island, off the Ross of Mull.

Mr Williams described conditions as horrendous when his volunteers, along with coastguard teams from Craignure and Tobermory, were called to the scene along with a Coastguard helicopter.

He said: "Three coastguard teams and a helicopter were called out at a time when Stornoway Coastguard were dealing with another four incidents, it's a lot of resources going in to two guys going out fishing

in the middle of a storm.

"I would say, do not put yourself at risk during a storm to go fishing and always check the tides before you do anything.”

Describing what happened, Mr Williams said: "The island is a substantial bit of rock, about 100ft square

which you can walk to at low tide.

"Two men, who were staying at a holiday cottage with their aunt, had gone fishing there and got stranded when the tide came in. There were 60 mph winds, it was horrendous and their aunt phoned 999."

The men, who had waterproofs on, had lit a fire on the island, which triggered off a flurry of other 999 calls when islanders saw the flames.

Mr Williams said: "We were called out - 16 of us in three coastguard teams - to see if we could assist . It was about an hour before high tide and we could only have got to them at low tide, and it was dark, so the helicopter went and picked them up and took them to Mull to their holiday cottage. They were OK."