A number of emergency services in Argyll were dispatched after a red flare was seen off the coast of Oban, sparking fears of a major incident.
It happened at 7.40pm yesterday , with Stornoway Coastguard receiving “multiple reports” of a red flare being seen.
A spokeswoman from the coastguard confirmed that “loads and loads” of 999 and radio calls were made from vessels in the area about seeing the distress signal.
The incident, which happened at Dunstaffnage near Oban last night, turned out to be a false alarm and was set off by an individual at the shore.
A rescue 199 helicopter was dispatched to search the area, as was Oban Lifeboat and a coastguard rescue team.
The search concluded that nobody was in trouble or distress, with the coastguard confirming that somebody had let the flare off.
Police notified
They also confirmed that the person was alright and police were notified to be “made aware about the individual”.
A police spokesman said: “We were made aware but this was dealt with by the coastguard”
The incident concluded at 10.40pm last night.
