By 20.00 tonight Oban RNLI lifeboat, the Mora Edith MacDonald, was out searching Oban Bay in response to more sightings of a red distress flare from the direction of Dunollie.

This was the site of the flare illegally fired a few days ago, causing the lifeboat to launch needlessly.

Tonight, as then, the spectrum of rescue services are all out on what is most probably another wild goose chase. We will report later tonight on the outcome, in an update to this article.

UPDATE 20.30: The lifeboat is now back at base and the shout was indeed another illegal flare firing. The Lifeboat and Coastguard Coast Rescue Company all stood down around 2025.   The flare appeared to come from the woods around Dunollie.

The Lifeboat’s own Deputy 2nd Coxswain saw the flare himself from his sittingroom in Longsdale as did others.

The penalities for the illegal discharge of distress flares are severe but the real issue is that in the end lives will be lost as members of the public begin not to bother reporting such sightings.

The length of time a flare lives in the air is actually very short. The opporunity for it to be seen is small.

It could be any one of us in trouble. We need anyone seeing a distress flare to take it seriously and report it without delay. The lifeboat will always answer a call but if a call is not made…