Forth rescue crew found harbour gates locked

PARAMEDICS going to the aid of a canoeist who died after getting into trouble in the Firth of Forth near Edinburgh were forced to leave their vehicle and carry equipment due to a locked gate, it emerged yesterday.

Michael Tattersall, 29, from Granton, died after getting into difficulty in the Forth on Sunday evening.

He was part of a group of two canoeists and two swimmers. The canoeists experienced problems off Gypsy Brae, Granton, but the swimmers reached shore and alerted the emergency services. Police called the Coastguard at 10:30pm and crews were sent from Queensferry, Kinghorn and Anstruther.

Last night, a spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said personnel arriving at Granton Harbour had found the gates locked, but they managed to walk round them.

However, he warned that such an occurrence could have repercussions in future incidents.

A fire service spokeswoman confirmed crews were called to cut a padlock on a gate to get access to docks because no keys could be found. It is believed there was a problem with locating the keyholder.

The search to locate Mr Tattersall, who worked for adventure tour operator Inside Out Scotland, lasted more than two hours. He was finally found, unconscious and suffering from hypothermia, by an RAF rescue helicopter around 1am.

He was flown to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, but was pronounced dead on arrival.

It was unclear last night who had responsibility for the gate and details on contacting the keyholder. Forth Ports said it was not part of their area.

Forth Coastguard said the group might have gone into the sea without being adequately equipped. They had buoyancy aids, but did not use high-frequency radios, flares and a mobile phone to raise the alarm.

It is believed some of the group were training for a triathalon.