A man has died after being found unconscious at the Scottish music fest Rockness, which took place next to Loch Ness this weekend. According to the Daily Record, friends of the man raised the alarm after he was found unconscious in his car at the festival site. The tabloid reports that the man was a "known drug user" and that it is thought he died of a heroin overdose, despite an intensive operation mounted by local police in a bid to stop drugs getting on the site.
The Record quotes a festival insider as saying: "We believe the person in question was a known drug user and tragically died on arrival at Raigmore Hospital in Inverness. We have been told that he was well known to police and had been involved in a drug-related incident in Dundee two weeks ago".
A spokesman for the local police force confirmed that a full investigation into the death would be conducted but added that: "There do not appear to be any suspicious circumstances".
Commenting on the death, a local councilor, Norrie Donald, who lives near the festival site, was keen to stress that festival organisers and police should be nevertheless congratulated for their efforts to reduce drug use at the festival, telling the paper: "Regardless of what efforts the organisers and the police take, it will happen. You can't see what they are doing in their tents or their cars, especially if they are injecting themselves. You can't lay any blame at the police's door, as I believe there were something like 400-officers on duty. It is saddening to hear of a death like this but it maybe gets the story through to people that it is dangerous to play around with drugs. This won't take anything away from what has been a very successful and well organised event".
Speaking for the police, Superintendent David O'Conner of the Northern Constabulary shared the councilor's sentiments, telling reporters: "Rockness 2007 has run exceptionally well and the carnival atmosphere has been reflected in that there have been no incidents of serious violence".