TWO kayakers ended up in the chilly waters off the coast of North Berwick.

The town’s RNLI crew was called out after a radio call for help after one of the kayakers had capsized due to swell and had experienced difficulty getting back in his kayak due to the water temperatures.

His friend had also capsized while trying to help and they had sent out a call for help via the handheld radio they were carrying.

The kayakers made their way back to shore but experienced issues with their handheld radio.

They then attended at the lifeboat station where they were checked out by other volunteer crew members, who had also responded to the pager.

They were treated for cold and were assisted with their kayaks and equipment.

Callum MacLeod was in charge of the North Berwick RNLI crew on Saturday afternoon having qualified as helm just a matter of days earlier.

He said: “Even well-equipped water users can get into difficulty and we would encourage the use of the PLB's (personal location beacons) as this gives the Coastguard an exact position to pass to the lifeboat crew allowing us to attend in the correct area very quickly.”

Callum joined North Berwick Lifeboat crew in 2003 while at the town’s secondary school.

He left in 2005 to join the Army but on leaving the Army in 2012 he went to university in Aberdeen where he volunteered with the city’s lifeboat crew for three years.

After moving to London, he volunteered with Chiswick Lifeboat Crew on the Thames for four years before returning to North Berwick in 2020 where he immediately re-joined the crew.

Ricky Martin, the LOM (Lifeboat operations manager), said: “We were delighted to have Callum back.

“He brings experience and enthusiasm to North Berwick Lifeboat Crew.

“We are all delighted with his latest achievement of passing out as Helm.”

In any coastal emergency dial 999 and ask for the Coastguard.