Royal Yacht Britannia listing after leak in door

The Royal Yacht Britannia is tilting towards its starboard side

Emergency services are trying to pump water out of the Royal Yacht Britannia after it started listing while it was being moved to have its hull repainted.

The iconic yacht is tilting on its starboard side after developing a leak in a door seal.

The leak was discovered when officials noticed the boat was tilting and went to alter ballast levels.

The boat was due to be moved at 09:30 to a dry dock a few hundred metres across the harbour in Leith.

At least four fire engines are at the scene.

It is the first time it has been moved from its berth in Edinburgh in almost 14 years.

It is due to reopen to the public on 1 February.

Work began on the ship at John Brown’s shipyard in Clydebank in June 1952 and it was launched in April 1953.

Last year was one of the attraction’s busiest years with more than 275,000 visitors, a 12% increase on the previous year.

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