Owner watches his dog disappear down a drain - never to be seen again - after scrap metal thieves take manhole cover

A devastated pet owner has spoken of the 'nightmare' of watching his beloved dog disappear down a manhole after callous scrap metal thieves apparently stole the cover.

Paul Stewart, 46, was walking his 11-month-old cocker spaniel, Revel in fields near to his home in Whitecraig, East Lothian when the pet fell into an uncovered sewer before being washed away.

He was taking Revel on his morning walk when the dog ran through some long grass and suddenly disappeared from view.

Tragic: Paul Stewart's dog Revel fell down a manhole without a cover and has not been seen since

Devastated: Paul Stewart insisted the manhole should have been covered

Realising he must have fallen down an uncovered manhole Mr Stewart called his wife Karen, 45, and son Paul, 25 and the trio began searching.

Paul Jnr called the fire brigade, and the police also attended to help with the search, but no trace of Revel could be found.

The family spent the rest of the day checking all the local treatment works but didn't seen any sign of him.

A worker for Scottish Water told them Revel might appear at the Seafield Waste Water Treatment Works but that he would never have survived.

Officials are now investigating the missing manhole cover and checking the rest of the network in case scrap metal thieves have removed any others.

Mr Stewart and his family checked nearby treatment works but saw no sign of Revel

Mr Stewart said: 'It has been an absolutely heartbreaking and devastating day for us all, a real nightmare.

'We didn't hear or see any trace of poor Revel. He ran over through some long grass and disappeared down the pipe and was gone. There was nothing we could do.

'The drain was sunk into the ground and covered over by a lot of overgrown grass. My son rang the fire brigade straight away but they couldn't do anything either when they arrived.

'Following that a guy from Scottish Water arrived. First, he told us that Revel might wash up in Seafield but later he told us that there would be no way that he would make it through alive.



'Revel was a treasured family pet but I dread to think that this could have happened just as easy to a wee bairn. The drain should have been covered.'



'We have spent the entire day checking various treatment works and drain covers along the pipeline in the hope of finding him. It's very upsetting.'

Mr Stewart's son added: 'Revel was a treasured family pet but I dread to think that this could have happened just as easy to a wee bairn. The drain should have been covered.'

A police spokesman said they had been called to the field close to Carberry Road at around 11.45am yesterday.

He said: 'Checks were carried out in a bid to try and locate the dog, however the animal was swept away by the current. Officers maintained a presence in the area to ensure the area was made safe and the manhole secured.'

The manhole has since been covered temporarily and plans are being put in place to secure it properly.

A Scottish Water spokesperson said: 'Scottish Water and Esk Valley waste water network operators Veolia Water UK have made safe the manhole cover.

'We are investigating what caused this incident. Remaining manhole covers in this part of the network are being checked.