Lockdown flouting teens scale crane and bus surf in Edinburgh city centre

A group of teens who flouted lockdown rules to travel from London to Scotland visited Edinburgh to dangerously bus surf and scale a crane in the city centre despite lockdown and the sharp rise in cases which has seen NHS hospitals ICU wards reach capacity across the country.

The adrenaline-junkies, who the Evening News has decided not to name, posted images and videos across their popular social media channels throughout the week, including clips of them hanging on the back of a number 4 Lothian bus which was travelling up the Mound and climbing a red crane which towers over the Grassmarket.

Viewers of the videos can see the gut-twisting drop beneath them as they look down from atop the crane.

Strict coronavirus restrictions in place across the country prohibit people from leaving their local council area, with those caught facing fines of £60.

Lockdown flouting teens scale crane and bus surf in Edinburgh city centre

The group were on a trip around the UK, camping in different spots and visiting different cities to take some photos when they came to Edinburgh, but stayed in the Capital for just a day this week.

One member of the group said: “We didn’t mean to go to Edinburgh in the first place, we were up in Northumberland national park and decided to keep going.

“We camped out the night before and came into the city in the morning to do some photography and decided to have some fun around the city before we headed back.”

On Wednesday, a further 1,707 people tested positive for Covid-19 across Scotland including 177 new cases in the Lothians.

The video shows them at dangerous heights with panoramic views of Edinburgh

A total of 157,079 people have tested positive in Scotland since the start of the pandemic. The country’s hospitals are in crisis with restrictions on new admissions and if any of the group had been injured their medical needs would have put the NHS under further pressure.

Speaking about the brazen flout of ignoring lockdown roles the teen added: “We honestly had no intention of harming anyone, I know it’s lockdown and everything but we just wanted to take some photos.

“We travelled up in a car and didn’t stop to speak to anyone and we’re back home.”

Part of the urban exploration trend sees risk-takers and photographers scale man-made structures including skyscrapers, cranes, bridges and city heights to take unique photos from angles not normally seen before, however the activity comes with extreme danger as often no safety equipment is used.

The teens scaled the crane at night time in Edinburgh during lockdown

The teenager, who has been urban exploring for the past couple of years however isn’t worried about the dangers involved adding that the more you do it the less scary it becomes.

It is understood they may plan to return to Scotland in the warmer weather to scale other iconic landmarks. Previous stunts have seen the Forth Bridge and other structures scaled.

A spokesperson for Police Scotland said: “We are investigating incidents of 'bus surfing' and a bus driver being targeted by a laser pen in Edinburgh. This behaviour is dangerous and potentially fatal. Enquiries are ongoing with officers checking CCTV footage to identify those involved.”

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