CHILDREN desperate to get outside and enjoy the current hot weather were warned yesterday not to play or swim in disused quarries after a teenage boy drowned in Ayrshire.
Police said James McIlwain, 17, from Irvine, had been at Dubbs Quarry in Stevenston on Tuesday evening with two friends and got into difficulties after jumping into the water.
They had managed to get past electrified fences guarding the site, known locally as the Blue Lagoon, and ignored warning signs before trying to cool off in the water, which is 50ft deep in places. The teenager defied his friends' warnings before jumping in. They then watched in horror as he struggled to stay afloat.
Craig Murray, 16, dived in first to help the drowning boy followed by Craig Anglini, 13, and Frank Hay, 16. They managed to get hold of James, who worked part time in an animal sanctuary in Kilmarnock, and dragged him to the surface, but the weight of the teenager's water-filled trainers dragged him under.
Speaking last night as he comforted James's mother Betty, 38, and stepfather Eddie Gorman, 56, Craig Murray told of his distress at losing his best friend.
Craig said: ''I dived in several times before James decided to try. I knew he wasn't a strong swimmer and shouted at him not to jump but he decided to copy me anyway.
''As soon as he hit the cold water he began to panic and disappeared under the water. I dived in after him and managed to get him back to the surface. Both Craig and Frank joined me to help keep him afloat but the weight of his trainers just dragged him down. There was nothing we could do.''
A spokeswoman for North Ayrshire Council said: ''The dangers of the quarry are evident. It is 50ft deep in places. There's an old mine shaft at the base under water.''
Temperatures in Scotland were as high as 25C in some areas, yesterday, several degrees higher than the rest of Britain.
However, around the coast the wind picked up towards the end of the day, and in coastal regions dropped rapidly.
The warm weather is expected to continue today, but by tomorrow cloud and patchy rain will move into western Scotland. Saturday will be fresher everywhere.
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