A POLICE inspector who was at the scene during a fire service water rescue attempt told a court he had been concerned that the rescue had been going on too long - just minutes before it went tragically wrong.

Inspector Keith Metcalfe was controlling the police team when part-time firefighter, 40-year-old sub officer Paul Metcalf drowned in a lodge trying to save 15-year-old Reyaz Ali.

The tragedy happened at Simon's Lodge, Holcombe Brook, on September 5, 1999.

The Health and Safety Executive have brought Greater Manchester Fire and Civil Defence Authority to court, alleging that it failed in its duty as an employer to ensure so far as is practicable, the health, safety and welfare at work of its employees for operations in, on or near water.

The prosecution told Bolton Crown Court that this failure contributed to Mr Metcalf's death. The Authority denies the charge.

The court has been told that Reyaz Ali and several friends from the Darul Uloom College, Holcombe Brook, had gone to the nearby Simon's Lodge to swim, but Reyaz had got into difficulties and disappeared beneath the surface.

His friends tried unsuccessfully to reach him and found passers by who called the emergency services.

Inspector Metcalfe attended the scene and told the court that he had watched as firefighters entered the water in an attempt at rescuing Reyaz.

He saw Mr Metcalf swim across to the far side of the lodge, away from the area that had been pointed out as where Reyaz went under.

Several minutes into the rescue attempt, Mr Metcalf got into difficulties and began shouting and waving his arms.

Despite being pulled on to the bank by other firefighters attempts to resuscitate him failed.

When questioned by defence barrister Mark Turner QC, Inspector Metcalfe said: "I think the search went on too long and I was trying to indicate that to the fire officers on the banking. That was shortly before the report that Paul Metcalf was in difficulty in the water."

When asked about who was in charge of the rescue, Inspector Metcalfe said: "It was the fire service's rescue. I assumed that they knew exactly what they were doing with their equipment. In all my experience I have never known of any police commander interfering with the rescue operation of the fire service."