THE first of 14 firefighters were due to give evidence into the death of their colleague Paul Metcalf today.

Part-time firefighter Metcalf, of Whalley Road, Shuttleworth, drowned when his safety rope snagged on an underwater obstacle as he searched the water for a 15-year-old student.

The inquest into last September's tragedy was told by several witnesses the fire brigade operation to recover the body of Reyaz Ali from a lake in Holcombe was "shambolic".

Two fellow fire officers attempted to keep his head above water but they got into difficulties. During the second day of the inquest in Bury, a jury was told Mr Metcalf entered the water wearing a safety harness attached to a rope.

He was forced to stop when the line became snagged on a branch and took off the harness.

He reattached the rope around his body.

Mr Gerard Forlin, who is representing the Fire Brigade Union and Mr Metcalf's family, questioned the Brigade's lack of water safety equipment during his cross examination of a police diver.

PC Simon Snodin of the police Underwater Search Unit, said he and other members of his team wore appropriate dry suits, which protected divers from water, when they recovered Reyaz Ali's body.

His own lifeline had earlier become snagged on an underwater plank but his training enabled him to remove the obstacle.

He went on to find the Asian youngster's body five metres from the bank of Simon's Lodge. Mr Metcalf drowned on the far side of the lake.

Proceeding