Swansea Council say waterside vandals are stealing rescue aids or needlessly throwing them in the water in areas including Swansea Marina and the River Tawe.
Now, pioneering new electronic sensors are being put in place to help keep the aids at their posts and alert the council’s Water Safety Team when one goes missing or is disturbed.
The move comes as the team begins its summer-long campaign to encourage people to go safe in the water – and to avoid it completely if they’ve been drinking alcohol.
Andrew Stevens, Swansea Council’s Cabinet Member for Environment and Infrastructure, urged residents to continue to report missing water safety aids and anyone they spot tampering with them to the police.
He said: “It’s a criminal offence to tamper with rescue aids and we check CCTV to see if we can identify those responsible. Any evidence will be immediately forwarded to the police for prosecution.
“Our water safety team inspects our network of water safety aids every fortnight and replace missing aids within 24 hours of them being reported missing.
“We’ve already fitted sensors at a number of locations around the city and we’re looking to do more in the coming months when more supplies of sensors come in. But the best thing anyone can do is leave the safety aids where they are except for when they’re needed.
“Vandalism of these devices is a criminal offence for a reason. It’s not a victimless crime and puts people’s lives at risk. The new sensors will help save lives by alerting our teams when a safety aid goes missing.”
Andrew Suter, Swansea Council’s Water Safety manager said the water safety team has a rigorous approach to checking rescue aids in the Marina area and along the Tawe to help keep people safe.
He said the council has joined with other emergency services to promote the summer-long Respect the Water campaign.
Mr Suter said: “Around 140 people lose their lives to drowning around our coasts each year and it’s one of the main causes of death among young adults.
“Going near the sea, swimming in a river or a lake or reservoir is especially risky if you’ve had a drink and you misunderstand the conditions you’re getting into.
“During the warmer summer months thousands of people visit our beaches, over Bank Holidays, especially when there’s an extended period of warm weather and sunshine.
“That’s why we have worked in close partnership with expert lifeguards at the Royal National Lifeguard Institution for a number of years to ensure our beaches are covered at the busiest time.”
