By Michael Alexander

THE FORTH Coastguard last night reminded people to take care when walking on or near the Fife and Tayside coast after a teenage girl sustained head injuries when she fell from cliffs while walking the Elie chain walk—the second such incident at the tourist attraction in less than a week.

The 14-year-old girl, who was walking with a group, slipped from the chain walk and fell on to rocks.

Forth Coastguard at Fife Ness received a call for assistance from the ambulance service at 3.08 pm and auxiliary coastguard rescue teams from Leven and St Andrews were alerted, as was the fire service, police and the Kinghorn lifeboat, which diverted to assist while on exercise.

The Leven rescue team evacuated the girl into the lifeboat while the St Andrews team transferred the casualty to the ambulance.

The girl was taken to Queen Margaret Hospital, Dunfermline, for treatment for a gash to her head, abrasions and bruises.

Last night a spokesman for Forth Coastguard said the girls’s injuries were not thought to be too serious but, coming just days after a 20-year-old St Andrews student escaped serious injury when she fell from the same cliffs, he said it was a timely reminder that coastal ramblers should take care and be aware of the tides.

The spokesman said the popular chain walk keeps them surprisingly busy.

“The shoreline has a lot of hidden dangers and the chain walk has proven to be historically difficult,” he said.

The rescue was just one of several incidents for the coastguard yesterday.

At around 11.30 am, a 999 call said a small boat with three on board had suffered propulsion failure off St Andrews. The Broughty Ferry all-weather lifeboat was launched and the boat was towed safely to Dundee.

At 1.50 pm, assistance was sought to deal with a diver with a suspected case of the bends at St Abbs, Eyemouth. The diver was taken to Melrose Hospital for treatment.