COUNCILLOR'S DISMAY AT 'ALMOST DAILY' INTERFERENCE WITH TOWN CENTRE LIFEBUOYS

                                                                        

                             Riverhead Square - the buoy has been torn from its casing

LIVES are being put in peril by repeated interference with safety buoys in Grimsby town centre.

So says North East Lincolnshire councillor Stewart Swinburn who is dismayed at the frequency - almost daily - with which the orange buoys are being stolen, vandalised and displaced.

The lifebuoys are located alongside the River Freshney at Riverhead Square and on the newly-unveiled Garth Lane development.

But ne'er-do-wells pull them out of their casings, steal some, vandalise others and throw others into the water.

Fumes Cllr Swinburn: "What these mindless idiots don’t understand is that this all costs money, takes up valuable time and can put lives at risk.

“Those buoys are in place in case someone falls into the water and needs assistance. 

"If the buoys are damaged or missing when they are needed most, lives could be lost."

* Earlier this year, the equipment at Cleethorpes Boating Lake was also subject to vandalism.