More than a hundred partygoers rescued from Cramond island

More than 100 partygoers who were stranded on an uninhabited island overnight by the rising tide were rescued today.

The revellers walked across the causeway to Cramond island in the Firth of Forth yesterday to join a party advertised on a social networking site.

However by late evening they realised they could not return as the tide had cut them off from the mainland, leaving around 160 people stranded.

Forth Coastguard coordinated a rescue operation, with South Queensferry and Kinghorn lifeboats and the coastguard rescue team sent to the scene.

They rescued many of the stranded partygoers, while around 70 people walked off the island when the tide went out again between 1.30am and 5.30am.

More were picked up by boat after the tide came back in at around 5.30am.

A coastguard spokesman said: "Lots of people went over for the party and forgot that the tide was coming in and got cut off.

"We got 999 calls from people calling in a panic because they could not get off the island.

"They were getting cold and it was starting to rain and lots of them were just in T-shirts because it was warm yesterday."

Some people suffered minor injuries from trips and bumps, but there were no serious injuries.

Cramond island is around a mile from the mainland and lies off the village of Cramond near Edinburgh.