The Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team was called out shortly after 3pm today following reports of a person possibly in difficulty within the confines of Saltcoats Harbour.
The team attended immediately and on arrival there were no obvious signs of any persons in distress or in difficulty. The team was thereafter joined by colleagues from Ayrshire Police Division with a search being conducted of Saltcoats Harbour and the surrounding area.
On completion of the search and with nothing of note found, the team has thereafter stood down and returned to station to complete the necessary paperwork before booking off duty and returning home.
On liaising with the Coastguard Operations Centre at Belfast, this incident has been classed as a hoax.
Malicious calls to the emergency services put multiple lives at risk. These hoaxes risk the lives of the emergency services including volunteer Coastguard Rescue Teams who are leaving their families and friends behind to respond to what they believe to be a genuine emergency.
They also risk the lives of the general public as there could be people in genuine need of the assistance of the emergency services who are engaged in a search and rescue operation when there’s no one actually requiring help.
We would urge that if anyone has information regarding anyone who is involved in making hoax or malicious calls to the emergency services to contact the police on 101.
In this instance the first informant followed the correct course of action and acted on information which they had received. We continue to advise the public if they believe a person is in distress at the coast or at sea to always contact the Coastguard – regardless of the circumstances.
The Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team is made up entirely of specially trained and equipped volunteers who are on call 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to respond to those in need.
Release: The Ardrossan Coastguard Rescue Team