Vandals 'risk lives' by destroying riverside lifebelts

THOUGHTLESS vandals who removed lifebelts and burned another on the River Tees have been condemned.

A lifebelt by the river near St Mary’s Church, in Gainford, was left charred and melted over the weekend with two other pieces of equipment unaccounted for. Empty beer cans were also found near the burned ring.

Ben Lamb, from the Tees Rivers Trust, hit out at the culprits. He said: “It’s irresponsible and stupid – it’s there to save a life. People want to be next to rivers to enjoy them and they want to enjoy them safely. There are a lot of children using it and there are slippery rocks down there – it only takes one stumble to get out of your depth and that life ring can be the difference between life and death.

“So it’s incredibly stupid and irresponsible.”

It is believed at least one of the belts was installed by the Gainford Riverside Millennium Green Charitable Trust.

The chairwoman of the Gainford and Langton Parish Council, Cllr Lisa Johnstone, was equally disappointed with the damage.

She said: “It is something which could potentially threaten a life. By the same token we have all been young – I am sure the people that did it probably weren’t thinking through the potential consequences of their actions.”

Kevin Lough, chairman of Durham County Council’s open water safety group, said: “Life buoys can literally make the difference between life and death and it is very sad to learn of such a deplorable act of vandalism.

‘The council works really hard with our safety group partners and through the Dying to be Cool campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of open water and to encourage people to respect lifesaving equipment which is there for a purpose.”