Mindless vandals slammed as 34 lifebuoys recovered

Thirty four life buoy rings have been ‘rescued’ following a clean-up of the city’s waterways.

The absence of so many life saving rings along the canals and the River Corrib was reaching a crisis, says Councillor Niall McNelis.

Members of the Cladonian Mariners Community Boat Club (CMCBC) were shocked at how many lifebuoys had been interfered with in recent months.

“A stolen buoy is a stolen life,” says Cllr McNelis, who is a member of CMCBC and who was involved in collecting the buoys and bringing them to the Galway City Council yard, where he saw more of them.

“The buoys will be reconditioned and resused but the crux is that if they are not there when you need them in a rescue situation, it could be a life or death matter.

“There are plenty of life buoy points around the city, paid for by the two local authorities but people keep taking them, messing, and throwing them aside or into the water.

“What was really surprising at the weekend during the recent trawl of the canals and river is, apart from the high number of buoys recovered, was that someone had actually lifted one of the poles that hold the life buoy and thrown that into the water near the Claddagh Basin.

“It is mindless vandalism that could actually cost a life. If anyone sees someone interfering with or throwing a life buoy into the water, it should be reported as it is crucial that they are continually replaced so that they are there when they are needed.”

Roger Sweeney of the Irish Water Safety Association, has stressed the importance of the availability of life buoys along waterways and he, too, asked that they not be interfered with.

Each life buoy costs the local councils €55 to replace if they cannot be reconditioned and reused.