Stormy weather and gale force winds continued to hamper crews in their attempts to salvage three stricken ships yesterday as fears grew over potential environmental damage.
Police are also investigating the possibility that the cold weather played a part in the death of a 15-year-old boy, whose body was found near his home in Ashley, Cambridgeshire, two days after he disappeared.
James Fisher left home late on Thursday without a jacket, mobile phone or money. Police said that there were no suspicious circumstances surrounding the teenager’s death, but they wanted to establish if the cold weather had played a part.
In Blackpool there were concerns that the Riverdance, a ferry that ran aground after it was hit by a freak wave, had blocked part of the city’s sewage output and could be grounded for another week.
With weather forecasters predicting further gale force winds today, salvagers said that the Riverdance — carrying 100 tonnes of heavy oil — was likely to be grounded near Blackpool for another week. A team of salvagers assessed the vessel and its cargo yesterday, declaring that its ramp was intact and that there were no problems with its fuel tanks. United Utilities said the ship had come to rest directly over a sewage outlet pipe. Attempts were being made to pump the waste to outfalls elsewhere on the coastline so that it was not backed up into homes and businesses. Thousands of biscuits from the ferry have been washed up.
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Meanwhile, the National Trust for Scotland began an emergency procedure on St Kilda after a trawler was pushed into rocks off the island on Friday. Its crew of 14 were rescued, but there were fears that rats from the Spinning Dale, which is carrying 8,000 litres of marine diesel and 400 litres of heavy-grade lubricating oil, may have come ashore. The World Heritage Site, in the Western Isles, is home to important colonies of seabirds that are able to nest on the ground because there are no predator mammals threatening their eggs. The arrival of rats could put breeding colonies at risk.
Surveyors found an 18in (48cm) hole in the third stricken vessel, the Horncliff, a cargo ship that ran into difficulties in heavy seas off the coast of Cornwall. Last night the 13,000-tonne vessel was anchored in Falmouth Bay, after the Maritime and Coastguard Agency pumped enough water out of her to bring the hole clear of the sea level. The ship was carrying fruit from the Caribbean to Dover.
The RAF had to abandon an attempt on Friday night to rescue the vessel’s seriously injured captain, who suffered internal injuries and spinal damage. He was eventually rescued on Saturday when conditions eased.
The bad weather brought sub-zero temperatures, gales and blizzards to large parts of Britain. More than 45,000 homes in the North East lost electricity. The Met Office yesterday said that the harsh conditions were likely to ease. Andy Bodenham, a forecaster, said: “Its still very stormy but it won’t be quite as bad as the weekend.”
Severe weather warnings are still in place across parts of western Scotland.