Opinion

Fishermen deserve apology from MoD

When a fishing trawler was seriously damaged in an incident off the Co Down coast last April which plainly involved a submarine, the Ministry of Defence firmly insisted that none of its vessels was responsible.

It has taken fully five months for confirmation to emerge that it was indeed a British submarine which dragged the 60-ft ship Karen backwards at top speed before the crew members were able to release its nets.

There will be widespread concern about the way in which the frightening episode, which could easily have resulted in the deaths of all four Ardglass-based fishermen, was handled by the authorities.

As well as appropriate compensation, the victims are entitled to receive both a full explanation of the circumstances and personal apologies from the MoD.