Life-saving rings damaged or stolen across Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon could have fatal consequences

The council has warned that this could have ‘potentially fatal consequences’.

“Over the past few months, life rings have been tampered with and thrown into the river at Solitude Park in Banbridge, in Gilford and in a number of other areas across Council.

“With a life ring costing on average £50 plus additional installation costs, Council ratepayers are having to spend vital funds replacing the safety devices every year due to the reckless actions of a few.”

Lord Mayor Glenn Barr, said: “Council is committed to water safety at all ABC waterways and locations. Vandals who recklessly tamper with life rings are putting people at risk – and could lead to lives being lost.”

“As the name suggests, these life rings are there to save lives.

“It buys vital time for someone who has fallen in until the emergency services arrive. It is important to have these life rings along waterways so that passersby can come to the aid of someone in difficulty if needed.

“They play a very valuable part in water safety and act as a constant visible reminder of the danger that the river and water environment represents. I would discourage anyone from tampering with with this type of vital safety equipment – please help us keep our waterways safe for everyone.”

-

-

Craigavon Hospital’s Emergency Department ‘extremely busy’ Read full story here-

-

Editor’s Message:

Thank you for reading this article. We’re more reliant on your support than ever as the shift in consumer habits brought about by Coronavirus impacts our advertisers.

Please consider purchasing a copy of the paper. You can also support trusted, fact-checked journalism by taking out a digital subscription of the News Letter.