THOUSANDS of swimmers across Scotland took a “loony dook” sea plunge yesterday to bring in the new year.

The tradition, begun 38 years ago in South Queensferry by two friends — Andy Kerr and Jim Kilcullen — as a kill-or-cure solution to their New Year’s Day hangover.

But since they repeated the event for charity the following year, it has grown spectacularly.

Festivities, in aid of the RNLI and local charities, begin with a fancy dress parade through the town to the shore of the Firth of Forth where “dookers” take the waters before retiring to the local pub to take further refreshments.

Over the years, the practice spread to other seaside towns such as Helensburgh and North Berwick, but the popularity at the original spot led to a charge being levied in 2011 as events companies muscled in. 

The decision by organisers to raise the charge to £20 in 2020 was branded a “damned disgrace” by the event founders, sparking a backlash that led to this year’s event being dropped from the official Edinburgh Hogmanay programme and returning once more to the locally organised free-for-all it once was.