Emergency services who were called to a false alarm following reports of someone being in trouble in the River Spey have stressed the caller “did the right thing”.
Police, paramedics and firefighters spent more than four hours on Wednesday checking the water for signs of someone in difficulty.
Coastguard crews from Burghead, Buckie and Portsoy were also involved in the efforts near the bridge at Fochabers. A helicopter was also called-in.
Last night, crews stressed that it is essential to raise the alarm if it’s believed that someone is in difficulty.
A Coastguard spokesman said: “After a few hours searching the river, which was in spate conditions, nothing had been found and the search was called off.
“It’s believed it was a false alarm with good intent. Police are now coordinating the operation and will continue investigations.
“The person who called 999 straight away did exactly the right thing.”
Rescue crews said caller did ‘right thing’ following false alarm on River Spey