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Bad storms keep fishermen at sea Port 'needs safety improvements'
(about 2 hours later)
Fishing crews from the County Down town of Kilkeel have finally returned to port after a rough night at sea. Calls have been made to improve safety measures at Kilkeel harbour after fishing boats had to spend the night at sea because of bad weather.
The severe storm conditions meant 10 trawlers were unable to return to their harbour until the early hours of Thursday morning. The severe storm conditions meant 10 trawlers were unable to return to the County Down port until the early hours of Thursday morning.
Alex Slater of the Fisherman's Mission said the crews had shown great skill but called for more safety measures.Alex Slater of the Fisherman's Mission said the crews had shown great skill but called for more safety measures.
"Every fisherman there last night said that we need something here - we need a breakwater to ease the situation." He said a breakwater needed to be built at the harbour to protect boats.
He added: "This would give better shelter to the boats - there was just no shelter last night for the boats that were coming into the harbour. "This would give better shelter to the boats - there was just no shelter last night for the boats that were coming into the harbour," he added.
"It was just fantastic seamanship on the skippers bringing them in.""It was just fantastic seamanship on the skippers bringing them in."
Speaking before the boats came into harbour, skipper Norman McBride said sea conditions were very dangerous.Speaking before the boats came into harbour, skipper Norman McBride said sea conditions were very dangerous.
"It is about gale force eight at the minute and we are just keeping the boat head to into the waves," he said."It is about gale force eight at the minute and we are just keeping the boat head to into the waves," he said.
"We can't get down near the pier, you can't get in basically, you could lose a boat, you could lose all the men in it. Boats have been lost at the pier before.""We can't get down near the pier, you can't get in basically, you could lose a boat, you could lose all the men in it. Boats have been lost at the pier before."