There are fears of another tragedy at a notorious Fife quarry after dozens of youngsters were seen “tombstoning” into the water.
About 200 youths are said to have gathered at Prestonhill Quarry in Inverkeithing on Monday.
Many of them were seen drinking alcohol and diving into the flooded pit to cool off during the soaring temperatures.
The quarry has previously been dubbed Scotland’s most dangerous and has been the site of four fatalities – three of those since 2014.
Fears of new tragedy at Fife quarry
David Barratt, a councillor for the area, told The Courier he is “extremely worried” that youngsters are unaware of the dangers of jumping into the water.
He said: “It’s always a concern given the good weather that groups of young people will congregate at the quarry.
“I’ve received numerous complaints regarding the large amounts of litter, bottles and debris left, but that can be cleaned up.
“However we cannot bring people back from the dead.
“There are all sorts of dangers below the surface of the water and people can easily get into great difficulty.
“There’s a history of tragic events at the site and I’ve been in discussion about how we can deter people from gathering there.
“Sadly, barring fencing the site off, we have little more option than to try and keep educating people to the very real dangers at the site, which people really need to take seriously.”
Tombstoning, cliff jumping – you don't know what you are diving into.
The water has hidden dangers and cold water hitting your system suddenly can be fatal for anyone. Don't drink alcohol near water.
Don't succumb to peer pressure.
More info: https://t.co/6uVBakeW0Z pic.twitter.com/N55AUmeCpF
— Scottish Fire and Rescue Service – Your Safety (@SFRSYourSafety) July 19, 2022
One witness, who asked not to be identified, described the tombstoning – so called because of the way someone falls like a stone into the water – as “madness”.
He said: “The water is very deep but you only need to be a few metres off and you could be hitting rocks just below the surface.
“There were loads of people swimming in the water and I even saw one with a pink rubber ring.
‘Matter of time’ before another death
“The quarry is no joke, there have already been too many tragedies here and we don’t want any more deaths.
“But with this sort of behaviour I fear it’s only a matter of time.”
It is thought youngsters travelled to the quarry on Monday from as far afield as Glenrothes, Kirkcaldy and South Queensferry.
Bottles, rubbish, clothing and even underwear were all left abandoned at the site.
Police were made aware of the gathering but say no criminality took place.
Families left bereaved by previous incidents at Prestonhill Quarry have previously campaigned for it to be closed off to the public.
Conversation