They were sitting on the bank and throwing stones into the water when one of them went onto the ice and then went through the ice

Inspector Phil O'Kane

The victim had been with a group of four other men when the accident happened at about 1315 GMT.

Inspector Phil O'Kane of Lothian and Borders Police said: "They were sitting on the bank and throwing stones into the water when one of them went onto the ice and then went through the ice.

"He was on the surface for a short while, then he disappeared below.

Safety warnings

"We received calls from members of the public and the volunteer country rangers."

He added that the Mr Cheam's friends were "shocked and tormented" by the incident.

Lothian and Borders Police were called to the scene

"We would appeal to people out walking to keep off the ice and keep their animals off it as well. It's very dangerous," he said.

Roger Vincent, a spokesman for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (Rospa), backed the warning and urged people not to venture out on to frozen waterways - no matter how thick they think the ice is.

"We are extremely concerned at the severe weather we are having and in particular the fact that water ways are becoming frozen enough to tempt people out on to the ice," he said.

"The problem is that the temptation nearly always ends in people dying.

"Last year in the winter we saw at least three people dying in ice-related drownings in Ireland and the UK.

"The last time there was a really big freeze, between 1996 and 1997, there were eight ice-related drownings within a few days."

Cold snap

The incident happened as Scotland was gripped by freezing temperatures, which fell as low as -9�C in the Cairngorms.

A number of avalanche warnings have been issued on mountains above 850 metres (2,788 feet).

Forecasters said Scotland was bearing the brunt of the cold snap which also affected Northern Ireland, northern England, the Midlands and Wales.

Scottish Hydro-Electric was working during the day to restore power to the remaining homes in the Highlands which had been cut off by fallen power lines.

There were also warnings for drivers to take care in the north-east, where a number of roads in Aberdeenshire closed.