Divers search for body after van plunges in to Fife docks

By Lesley Kinney
Methil Docks: Stolen van plunged into water

Police divers are searching for a body after a stolen van plunged in to a dockyard in Fife.

Reports suggest the vehicle was being pursued by a police van before it plunged in to the water.

The van fell in to the water in Methil when it careered off the end of the docks, according to Fife Constabulary.

The vehicle had been stolen earlier in the day and was later spotted by officers, near South Street. There are reports one person is inside.

Divers from Central Scotland Police were searching the scene at the Firth of Forth on Wednesday evening. A crane will later be used to lift the vehicle from the water.

Fife Constabulary said the van had earlier been reported stolen from near the Forth Road Bridge.

Central Scotland Police will carry out a review of the circumstances leading up to the incident.

A police statement said: "Fife Constabulary can confirm that the vehicle which has entered the water at the dock had been reported stolen from the vicinity of the Forth Road Bridge earlier in the afternoon.

"The vehicle was sighted by police near to South Street, Methil, before entering the dock a short time later.

"Central Scotland Police, who are assisting in the recovery of the vehicle, have also been invited to review the circumstances of police involvement prior to the deposition of the vehicle in No 3 Dock."

A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said: "We were called to the scene about 4.30pm after a vehicle was found submerged in the water. We stood by but there were no patients. We left when police divers were called in."