A BLACKPOOL angler died on holiday on Monday (March 25) after falling from rocks and drowning at Portpatrick on the Galloway coast of Scotland.

Brian Osborne, 62, of Pershore Gardens, Normoss, was fishing with two friends when he fell from rocks at Dasher's Den, a rocky area about quarter of a mile south of the harbour at Portpatrick.

Mr Osborne was thought to have been in the water for around 15 minutes before being pulled aboard the Portpatrick lifeboat at around 10.45am. Several coastguard and police officers were also involved with the rescue.

Mr Osborne was transferred to the Garrick Hospital at Stranraer but was found to be dead on arrival.

Quentin McKie, second coxwain of the Portpatrick lifeboat said: "He hadn't actually fallen that far -- he couldn't have fallen much further than 20 feet.

"He had slipped on the rocks and ended up in a kind of gully, but down in the water. The rocks are just slippy this time of the year."

He said Mr Osborne was probably in the water for "no longer than 30 minutes."

"I think his pals had held onto him for a while. It was a tragic accident," he said.

Dumfries and Galloway Police did not name Mr Osborne's friends, but they are believed to be from the Fylde Coast.

According to locals, Mr Osborne enjoyed fishing trips to Portpatrick for more than 20 years.

He also had a life-long passion for folk music and was a founder member of folk band The Taverners.

As well as singing and playing the guitar, he also enjoyed rock climbing, ski-ing and hill walking and was a long time member of Fylde Mountaineering Club.

Mr Osborne, a retired electrician, leaves behind wife Jean, their daughters Elaine and Diane and three grandchildren. He also leaves a 94-year-old mother and a sister, Maureen.

A post mortem examination was carried out, after which the Procurator Fiscal for the Stranraer area decided a Fatal Accident Inquiry was not necessary.