A warning has been issued after a lifebelt was found vandalised at a north-east beach.
The rescue device, which was hauled from its railings at Fraserburgh Beach, was found by a local man over the weekend. It had been discarded and dumped on the promenade.
The incident has now sparked a call to action from the port’s safety group just a month after it emerged that, during a beach clean, bottles had been found deliberately smashed up and embedded at the foot of dunes.
Last night, Brian Topping, the group’s chairman, branded the vandalism as “disgusting” and appealed for anyone who may know those responsible to come forward.
He said: “This isn’t the first time this has happened, and we’ve had to get them fixed or replaced before.
“It’s an absolute disgrace and the people involved should be totally ashamed of themselves.
“These are things that you hope never need to be used, but they are there to save lives if someone is in difficulty in the water.
“I just sincerely hope that whoever has done this – themselves and their friends – is never in the water and finds there isn’t a lifebelt to use. I would urge anyone who knows anything about this to come forward.”
The vandalism to the lifebelt is the latest in a spate of attacks against lifesaving groups in the port.
Last month, the town’s Coastguard warned that lives had been put at risk when a thief broke into their station to steal a battery charger and fizzy drinks.
In the same week, Mr Topping revealed it was only down to good luck that nobody had been injured by the glass on the beach.
His group, alongside local volunteers, had previously carried out a clean of the beach and discovered shards from glass bottles had been buried into the foot of Tiger Hill – the sand’s most prominent dune.
