A life ring which may have been thrown away in an act of vandalism forced a north-east lifeboat into action.
Fraserburgh Lifeboat was launched at about 6pm on Saturday when a local fishing boat alerted the Coastguard about the possibility of a man overboard situation.
The crew had spotted a life belt floating in the North Sea off the coast of Sandhaven.
Lifeboat coxswain Victor Sutherland headed the search alongside volunteers Grant Morrison, William McDonald, Marten Ritchie, Declan Sutherland and Nathan Whyte.
Mechanic Dave Buchan also responded to the emergency.
But upon arriving it became clear that no one was in danger.
And last night a spokesman for the charity said: “The lifebelt, a perry buoy, was in a poor state of repair and we can only speculate on where it came from and how it ended up in the water.
“It may have fallen overboard accidentally or may have been discarded inconsiderately from a vessel or a harbour. It may have been thrown away deliberately by a previous owner or by someone acting in a malicious manner.
“Such acts of vandalism endanger lives.”
After ensuring that no one was in the water alongside the flotation device, the lifeboat was stood down and returned to port.
Members of the public are asked being asked to assist the emergency services by now reporting any missing life rings to the Coastguard.
Mr Sutherland has also encouraged swimmers and those heading to the beach this summer to take extra precautions.
“Try to stay with others and not go off by yourself. Always let people know where you are and when you’ll be back,” he said.
“For any issues on the water, call 999 immediately if possible and try and give them as much information as possible about where the person is, if they’re in the water, what they’re wearing and where they’re drifting.
“The quicker we’re up and going the better. If we go out and are stood down because it’s a false alarm, that’s great.”