A BOAT caused panic among New Year’s Eve rush hour travellers yesterday morning as many lodged 999 calls when they noticed it stranded while they were travelling along a bridge over the River Tay.
At around 8am, motorists travelling to work along the Friarton Bridge on the outskirts of Perth were surprised to see the coaster stuck on land and immediately called emergency services to help the crew.
The coaster was believed to be carrying soya and had a crew of six along with a pilot from Perth Harbour who was helping to navigate.
But a spokesman for the Forth Coastguard said that it was just a case of waiting for the tide to rise and that they were not directly involved because no-one was in danger.
He added: “There is a coaster aground on the River Tay just a mile from the Friarton Bridge.
“We are just waiting on the tide rising and it will be on its way.
“Many people crossing the bridge panicked when they saw it and we received a few 999 calls.
“When navigating up river like that, local knowledge is essential and a pilot from Perth Harbour joined the boat just at Dundee.
“The boat refloated earlier than expected at about 11am and it is now safely in Fife.”
