No one is to face criminal proceedings over the death of a woman who fell down a mineshaft, prosecutors have said.
Lawyer Alison Hume suffered “survivable” injuries after plunging 45ft down the collapsed shaft in Galston, Ayrshire, in July 2008.
However, the 44-year-old developed hypothermia, had a heart attack and died in hospital after spending eight hours in the pit.
A fatal accident inquiry found that her death was “accelerated” by a delay in pulling her out and that it may have been avoided if certain “reasonable precautions” had been taken.
The Scottish Government ordered an inquiry into the operational procedures of Strathclyde Fire and Rescue following the tragedy.
Yesterday, the Crown Office said there will be no criminal proceedings. A spokesman said: “Following a complex and thorough investigation in relation to the death of Alison Hume in 2008, including consideration of specific issues of concern raised by her family, Crown counsel considered that there was insufficient evidence that a crime had been committed to raise criminal proceedings at this time.”
Mrs Hume was discovered down the shaft at the decommissioned Goatfoot Colliery by her 17-year-old daughter, who started a search when she failed to return home.
She fell in just before midnight and emergency services were on the scene before 3am.
She was ultimately pulled out at about 7.40am.
The report ordered by the Scottish Government was carried out by the chief inspector of fire and rescue authorities, Steven Torrie, who concluded “it ought to have been clear to decision-makers” that the delay represented a significant risk to her safety.
Published in March last year, it set out a number of recommendations and lessons to be learned from the tragedy.