Mystery after two fishermen found dead at Gladhouse Reservoir near Gorebridge

By SHÂN ROSS
Published on 11/09/2012 00:00

the bodies of two fishermen were found in a reservoir in Midlothian in the early hours of yesterday morning, sparking a police investigation into their deaths.

Police said the family of the two men raised the alarm on Sunday evening after becoming concerned after the fishermen had failed to return home from a day on the Gladhouse Reservoir near Gorebridge.

Lothian and Borders Police sent officers to the scene in the Moorfoot Hills and began a search of the area. They also called for assistance from RAF Kinloss.

A spokesman for RAF Kinloss said a search and rescue helicopter had been sent from RAF Boulmer in Northumberland, but rescue attempts were hindered by poor weather conditions, including heavy rain and thunder.

Shortly after 3am, the helicopter crew spotted the bodies of the missing men.

There was speculation last night that they were members of the same family.

Yesterday, Clare Stevens who lives at Mauldslie Farm, near the scene of the tragedy, described how she had received a late-night telephone call from police.

“I had a call from the police at midnight to see if I’d heard anything. I suspect they contacted me as I’m probably nearest the reservoir. But I hadn’t seen anything at all. What’s happened is really tragic.”

Malcolm Spaven, who also lives close to the reservoir on the Arniston and Roseberry estate, said he had heard the helicopter and realised a search mission was under way.

“I’ve no idea what happened. But I’ve got an aeronautical background and when I heard the helicopter at around 3am I knew it was searching for something. I’ve never heard of anything like this happening before at the 
reservoir.”

A police spokesman said: “Lothian and Borders Police launched an investigation to find two fishermen who were reported missing on Sunday, 9 September, following a fishing trip in Gorebridge.

“Officers were assisted during the search by RAF Kinloss and the bodies of two men were recovered from the Gladhouse Reservoir in the early hours of this morning.

“The bodies are still to be formally identified. There appear to be no suspicious circumstances surrounding this incident.”

Andrew Kirk, retired head gamekeeper from the Roseberry estate, told of a wind that can hit the reservoir, which is located at a height of 900ft.

“The wind howls down the valley from the Moorfoot Hills and things can become quite dodgy all of a sudden. It has the potential to become quite dangerous, with calm water on one side changing in a matter of minutes to something quite wild. Over the years I’ve had boats which had to be abandoned.”

Yesterday, local men who regularly hire boats to fish on the reservoir said the vast majority of fishermen wore lifejackets and used outboard motors.

James Raston, 45, from Gorebridge, who often hires boats in the area, said: “I must say I’m really surprised. We all wear lifejackets when we’re out on the water. Another thing is that the majority of boats have motors and hardly any use just oars.

“If there was a spell of bad weather predicted, we usually don’t fish and cancel the day out. If you had a motor on your boat it would take you about ten minutes to get to the bank.”