Life ring vandalism ‘endangering lives’

Vital rescue buoys are being tossed into the river

Vandals who have been throwing Navan's lifebuoys into the Boyne are putting lives in danger, according to volunteers from Meath River Rescue. "You could have someone's death on your hands. A stolen lifebuoy could mean a stolen life," Christopher Rennicks has warned.

“The life rings are there for a reason – to save lives,” he said, adding that it is important to have them along waterways so that passersby can come to the aid of someone in difficulty if needed. Mr Rennicks said that the life saving rings are being thrown into the river on a regular basis.

"In the past week, we have had to take the liferings out of the Boyne at St Martha's bridge, Old Kilcarn bridge and at Ardmulchan. They were thrown into the water twice on Sunday from Old Kilcarn Bridge and the river rescue volunteers had to go take out a boat to retrieve them. "It is only a matter of time before somebody dies because of this," he said.

Mr Rennicks said he saw a girl crossing Oldcarn bridge last Wednesday in a group of five people. She threw the lifebuoy into the water and she has been reported to the gardai. "It is madness. What if somebody really needed that lifebuoy and drowned because the ring had been thrown away?

"They would have that persons death on their conscience.

"Im appealing to people to leave them alone. A lot of people are going for walks along the river these times and it is important the lifebuoys are there and capable of being used to save someobody that needs it. "The situation is ridiculous, people are doing this without thinking. They would have some explaining to do if someone loses their life because there is no life ring there. He said that anyone who noticed people throwing life rings into the river should contact the gardai immediately so that they can apprehend those responsible.

“Life rings play a very valuable part in water safety and they also act as a constant visible reminder of the danger that the river environment represents. They are intended to be used to rescue any person who may find themselves in distress.”

Cllr Alan Lawes said that the people doing this were recklessly endangering life. "Thus isn't just a bit of vandalism - it is endangering life. It shows total disregard for life - its like interfering with a defibrillator. "It is very worrying, but those who are doing this, should just think - it could be their mother, father, brother or sister whose life might need saving."

Cllr Eddie Fennessy said he had no idea what would compel a person to engage in acts of such wanton vandalism "Not having access to a life bouy along the riverside is dangerous and put's people's lives at risk. I urge whoever's responsible to stop immediately or they'll be responsible for causing a tragic accident."