Fears for 11-year-old boy spark major emergency response in Berwick
Last updated 18th Jun 2023
Fears that an 11-year-old boy had fallen into the River Tweed at Berwick sparked a full-scale emergency response - by land, air and sea - last night (Sunday).
Coastguard, lifeboat, and water rescue teams, were joined by the police and fire service - as well as a local sight-seeing boat - in the hunt for the missing youngster, after the alarm was raised around 6pm.
But it later emerged the boy had been found safe, and no-one had ever been in the water, and the search was stood down.
A spokesperson for Berwick Coastguard said: "We would like to stress that the caller did exactly the right thing by dialling 999 when they thought children were in trouble in the water.
"This type of incident shows the kind of of resources that can be mobilised at short notice to conduct major search and rescue operations."
Last week, the RNLI issued a reminder to parents to warn their children of the dangers of swimming in local rivers, after witnessing some teenagers struggling to cross the Tweed at Berwick.
It says the currents and cold water shock can deceive even the most capable swimmers.
Referring to the latest incident, a Berwick Coastguard spokesperson said: "We were tasked after a report was recieved of shouts for help coming from the River Tweed around the railway bridge. It was thought that someone had fallen into the river.
"As we arrived on scene, searches were starting on the river and its banks and Coastguards from Berwick and Eyemouth joined the search.
"After approximately 30 minutes of searching, information was recieved that an 11-year-old boy was missing in the area. Searches were intensified and further resources were requested such as the Borders Water Rescue Team and coastguard helicopter.
"After an intensive search period, police enquiries revealed the 11-year-old was now safe and well and that no one had ever been in the water - the shouts likely came from two groups of kids shouting to each other across the river. The search effort was stood down."
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