'We pray this stops': Glasgow Humane Society hits out at lifebelts vandals at Clydeside

The charity took to the social media website Facebook on Friday after they retrieved 30 lifebelts from the Dalmarnock area which had been thrown in the water. There was a further nine lifebelts which the organisation could not retrieve until the tide is suitable. 

There are around 600 lifebelts on the River Clyde from Carmyle to Yoker. Those lifebelts are funded by Glasgow City Council.

The organisation said: "Answers to the problem perhaps lie with the public, the vandals who throw the lifebelts into the water; the people who take the lifebelts to hang up on their house walls; the people who see the vandals throw the lifebelts into the water and do not report it —there must be people witness this."

The statement continued: "Day after day both Glasgow Humane Society and the city council are trying to combat this vandalism. 

"Roughly 1,000 times a year lifebelts are being thrown into the river. Fortunately we retrieve most of them.

"Unfortunately when the council used to attach ropes to the lifebelts some were thrown in with the lifebelts, but most were taken away, stolen if you like, we had to give up putting ropes on the lifebelts.

"Much of the signage we put up cannot be read because of graffiti or stickers.

"Glasgow is miles ahead of most cities regarding water safety provision-though we can never be complacent and can always learn from others and incorporate new ideas; but there has to be an answer to the vandalism.

"We try to have establishments next to the river keep lifebelts and ropes inside their premises where they will not be vandalised, many establishments do so but not all are 24/7.

"So we are back to the situation where we have to ask, what is wrong with people that have to throw a lifebelt into the water every time they walk past it. 

"Vandalism ruins safety plans, vandalism costs lives.

"Hours are spent every day retrieving lifebelts. If we put ropes on them we could be purchasing and attaching new ropes every few days -thousands per year.

"It could be their mother, their wee brother in the water needing a lifebelt. Many people suffer the consequences when the lifebelt that should be there to throw to someone in distress is not - the consequences of a drowning and the sadness of living without a loved one.

"We have suggested that some rope making firm consider making a special coloured rope only available to emergency services and there are persons looking into this. 

"The bottom line is that no matter what we put in place to prevent drownings, these items are prone to vandalism.

"Glasgow Humane Society does not know the answer to this wanton vandalism but we pray that it will stop soon."

The Evening Times reported recently that a man was arrested after dozens of lifebelts were thrown in the water.

At least 22 lifebelts were in the stretch of water close to BBC headquarters when the incident happened last month.

Police Scotland confirmed that a 20-year-old man has been arrested in connection with the incident.

The Glasgow Humane Society is a unique charity set up in 1790 after merchant James Coulter left £200 in his will to found a Humane Society in the city.

The object of the society was "to recover those who are apparently dead, from having been sometime under water, from being exposed to intense cold, or to other causes capable of suspending life without destroying it".

• READ MORE: Man arrested after dozens of lifebelts thrown in the River Clyde