| Fire chief's ice warning |
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| Written by Kayleigh Mcleod | ||||||
 FIRE chief Sandy Gillespie has issued a safety warning to East Kilbride residents as arctic weather continues to plague the town.The town has experienced plummeting temperatures and hazardous conditions as a result of ‘the big freeze’. Station commander Gillespie wants to highlight the dangers of frozen bodies of water in East Kilbride, in particular Stewartfield loch. He said: “We have noticed footprints on the ice already and must caution that the water beneath can be up to six feet deep. The temperature of the water means long-term survival may not be possible.” The fire chief stressed if a member of the public was to fall through the ice, there would be a time delay in rescue due to the location of specialist rescue tools, which could result in a very serious situation. He said it would be a serious drain on resources if water rescue facilities were required. Equipment such as dry suits, floatation devices, boats and rescue paths are expensive and are stored at bases in Motherwell and Polmadie. A Stewartfield dog walker voiced her concern to the EK Mail after witnessing children playing on the frozen loch. She said: “I saw a family walking around the loch oblivious to their two young children running backwards and forwards across the ice. I couldn’t believe my eyes, it is very irresponsible. With the ice breaking as the temperature rises, they were very lucky to avoid a potentially dangerous situation.” The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) has also issued a warning about the dangers of frozen-over lakes in a bid to prevent needless deaths. Peter Cornall, RoSPA’s head of leisure safety, said: “Ice-related drownings are entirely and easily preventable. Be very careful around the edges of lakes because snow can obscure them. Keep your dog on a lead. “Although frozen water can look tempting, there is simply no way of knowing whether it will hold your weight. By the time you find out it won’t, it’s often too late.”
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