Boy, 14, left with leg injury after harbour jump incident in East Lothian

A warning has been issued about the dangers of diving into harbours after a 14-year-old boy was injured at a harbour in East Lothian.

The teenager injured his leg after plunging into the water from height at Dunbar’s harbour on Thursday, at around 6.30pm.

Dunbar RNLI was about to launch on a training exercise when the alarm was raised, and they found the boy after he managed to get himself onto the steps near the harbour entrance.

The volunteer crew assisted paramedics by helping the 14-year-old onto the lifeboat and brought him ashore, where he was transferred to the waiting ambulance.

Dunbar RNLI lifeboat helm Laura Kirkham said: “Tombstoning, or cliff jumping, into the harbour might seem like fun, but there’s always a danger of hidden rocks and unknown depths that can result in serious life-changing injuries and even death. As tempting as it is to cool off in hot weather, we’re urging people to think before they jump.

“The bystanders did the right thing in flagging us down for assistance while waiting for the Scottish Ambulance Service.”

The incident was the second within 24 hours for the Dunbar lifeboat crew and the first for recently passed-out helm Laura.

On Wednesday, the volunteers were paged by HM Coastguard after a report someone was in distress in the harbour.

After launching and finding nothing untoward the crew were stood down. After handing the casualty over to medics, the volunteer crew returned to their exercise.

Laura added: “The few seconds of thrill that come from tombstoning can lead to consequences that last a lifetime, not only for the individual involved but also for their family, friends and those who witness or respond to the incident.”