A family of a boy who almost drowned in a sand sinkhole at Ayr beach has blasted the council's emergency response — after numerous calls failed.
Two-year-old JJ Forbes fell face first into a sinkhole last month after running into what appeared to be a puddle on a family day out with his parents Jay Forbes, 26, and Hayley, 27 Forbes and 10-month-old sister.
His dad Jay jumped in to rescue his son but then became stuck in the dangerous sinkhole before a passing dog walker helped save him.
JJ was rushed to Ayr Hospital after inhaling sea water after the terrifying incident on Saturday February, 19.
Now Ayrshire Live can reveal that the Ayr family’s calls for help from council crews went unanswered for hours.
Dad-of-two Jay, 26, told Ayrshire Live: “It was really frustrating.
“It really rings alarm bells. What is the point of having an emergency number if it won’t be answered?
“This was a serious incident, my son could have drowned, I said before if he went into it feet first it could have been a different story.”
Jay checked back on his call history and revealed he phoned at 1.27pm, 1.28pm, and 1.29pm with his final call he left a voicemail.
Nearly two hours later on a separate call at 3.12pm he was again prompted to leave a voicemail before eventually getting a council officer on the phone at 3.40pm.
But Jay believes the only reason he managed to finally get through was because it followed his call to Police Scotland on 101 who he says “flagged the report” to the council.
He added: “I just think the whole setup is inadequate and substandard.”
“I almost had to do my job for them, I had to revisit the site with the fire service to show them where everything was.
“You would think with something like that the council would do what they could to warn the public after what had just happened.”
Ayr MSP Siobhian Brown says she was disappointed to hear that the council number was not answered.
Ms Brown said: “What happened at the beach is very concerning and I have been in touch with South Ayrshire Council regarding this. During my time as a councillor and now as an MSP I have never had anything like this reported to me.
“It may be due to the storms, but it is certainly something everyone should be made aware of and perhaps the local authority can put up appropriate signs to warn people of shifting sand during bad weather like this.
“I am also disappointed that the emergency phone number was not working, and I have raised my concerns with the Council.
“I have been in touch directly with the constituent and I will keep him informed of any updates.
“I am glad to hear the little boy is recovering well. I would like to thank everyone who came to the aid of this family including the emergency services. I would remind everyone to exercise caution near open water, particularly during bad weather.”
A council spokesperson said: “We received a call on Saturday, February 19 regarding an incident at Ayr beach. Our Emergency Response Team contacted the Ayrshire Roads Alliance, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, and our Neighbourhood Services team who responded to the incident.”
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