An urgent plea has been made to help catch those responsible for stealing lifebelts along Clacton seafront.

Ten of the orange belts - used to help rescue people in difficulty in the sea - were stolen last night (May 16).

This brings the total to 49 in the past couple of months and Tendring District Council (TDC) is concerned that sooner or later the thefts could result in a tragedy.

The latest incident occurred after 6pm last night when the lifebelt stations were checked - and they were all in place.

When seafront wardens and beach patrol turned up for work this morning ten were missing from the stretch between Clacton Pier and the Sea Breeze Café opposite First Avenue.

Stephen Mayzes, Portfolio Holder for Leisure at TDC, said the situation was becoming increasingly worrying.

"On average each year about 150 lifebelts are removed from their stations over the whole of the Tendring coastline," he said.

"This year almost 50 have gone missing from a relatively short stretch of the promenade at Clacton - this is not a trivial matter and is very serious.

"We need the public's support to help us catch those people who are putting others' lives at risk. It is not just about the money - these lifebelts cost £30 each to replace - it is more about the fact that someone could get into difficulty and the lifebelt is not there when it is needed to help rescue them."

Cllr Mayzes appealed for anyone who has any information about the thefts to contact either the Council's Leisure Services at Clacton Town Hall on 01255 686868 or Clacton Police.

"We really need to put a stop to this before we get to the main season when there will be a lot more people using our beaches and seafronts," he added.

The Council has a total of 84 lifebelt stations along the Tendring coastline.

When a lifebelt goes missing it is replaced as soon as possible but there will inevitably be a period when it is not in place - increasing the risk to the public.

17/5/09

Related Link: Seafront and Beaches