| Fears of an “accident waiting to happen” were raised when an off-duty Coastguard officer from Aberdeen, taking a walk along the clifftop path to the north of Arbroath, observed a group of children.
He felt there was an inadequate number of adults supervising in the choppy, rock-strewn water at the foot of the cliffs.
The officer reported his concerns to the Montrose-based Marine & Coastguard Agency sector manager Daryll White.
Mr White, after carrying out his own investigation, contacted Dundee City Council.
He said, “Last Monday, a Coastguard colleague became aware of activity involving young children along the rocky water’s edge to the north of Arbroath.
“These activities appeared to be organised and overseen by staff from the Ancrum Outdoor Education Centre in Dundee but, for a number of reasons, they have caused concern to ourselves and to personnel at the local RNLI lifeboat station.
“The activity was being repeated yesterday and was observed by RNLI and Coastguard staff, with the number of photographs being taken.
“I was unable to be there personally but my understanding is that these children — who I initially though were in their early teens but who, on closer examination of the photographs, appear to be aged about 9 to 11 — were climbing on the rocks and swimming in the water.
“Our main concerns are that these children were in the water, albeit wearing life preservers and helmets, in conditions where the onshore swell and low, choppy sea could cause them real difficulties.
“These conditions create strong and unpredictable currents and undertows that can easily pull even a strong swimmer under the water, and the movement of the water can result in disorientation and difficulty in surfacing, with potentially serious results.
“The cliff-based activities, too, are a matter of concern for us as the loose and crumbly nature of the sandstone north of Arbroath means the area is inherently dangerous.
“Our Coastguard officers often have to climb down the cliffs and the first man down always makes a point of kicking away any loose material so that it isn’t dislodged on top of him by the next man down.”
Arbroath RNLI station mechanic Allan Russell said, “I went out yesterday to see what was happening for myself and I fully agree with Daryll’s assessment.
“The kind of activity these youngsters were taking part in was simply inappropriate given their age and the sea conditions, and the fact that no-one had thought to even advise us or the Coastguard that it was taking place, and I would hope the authorities would seriously reconsider their position.”
A Dundee City Council spokeswoman said, “We will be discussing this type of activity with the Coastguard, and in the meantime no further outings will take place.”
A spokesman added, “The children were from a Dundee secondary school.”
* The Ancrum facility was at the centre of a safety investigation in 2004 after two girls were washed from rocks on the River Garry in bad weather.
Despite flood warnings and forecasts of heavy rain, staff from the centre led nine young people to a 300-ft gorge near Calvine in Perthshire.
There the youngsters, aged between nine and 13, were allowed to enter the water and stand on rocks. But two girls were washed from a rock and one suffered a leg injury.
The incident resulted in both police and civilian mountain rescue teams and an RAF helicopter being put on standby, although all were stood down when those involved were helped to safety.
In the aftermath of the drama, two outdoor education staff were charged with being “culpable and reckless” while in charge of the group.
The pair denied the allegation and the criminal proceedings were later abandoned. |
