May 1995

Intensive searches by air and by sea and along the coastline were undertaken.  There has been no trace of the young man seen attempting to swim across the fast ebbing tide at the entrance to Loch Fleet.

September 1990

A Derbyshire couple brought to safety after being marooned all night by a swollen Highland river, have sent a "substantial" donation to their rescuers.

The volunteers of the East Sutherland Rescue Association, who crew an inshore lifeboat in the Dornoch Firth, were called out by auxilliary coastguards to rescue Mr Ian Scarr Hall and his wife, Ruth, when bad weather had forced an RAF Helicopter to give up.

The scene was 30 miles inland, on the River Cassley, in Sutherland.  The waters suddenly erupted in spate after the couple, from Ardoch, Thorpe Ashbourne, had crossed over to fish for salmon.

In high winds and lashing rain, they were stranded on the far bank in gathering darkness.  As dawn broke, coastguard control at Aberdeen sent auxilliaries from Helmsdale and the inshore lifeboat from Dornoch.

The leader, Mr Neil Dalton, a dental tecnician said: "They appeared very happy to see us."

Mr Scarr Hall wrote to him: "Although we were not in any condition to take it all in, we could not help but be impressed with the professional manner in which the rescue was carried out.  The individuals are voluntarily prepared to put their own lives at risk, time afer time, has the admiration of all."

With compliments from Yorkshire Post Newspapers Ltd

This rescue was also reconstructed on BBC TV's 999

May 1990

ESRA rescues Largs man in his 14ft dinghy which had capsized in strong winds off Embo.