VITAL life-saving equipment has been stolen from a jetty on Windermere.

Two buoyancy aids were taken from the new floating jetty at Bark Barn, near Belle Grange on the western side of the lake, sometime between Tuesday last week (3 March) and yesterday (Monday, 9 March).

The B-Line rescue buoys are designed to be thrown out to anyone in the water in difficulty. The stolen buoys are worth around £100 each.

The equipment that was stolen had only recently been installed after being donated by a well-wisher.

Donald Sidebottom, chairman of Blackpool-based environmental and safety product manufacturer Glasdon UK Ltd, replaced all of the life buoys, B-Line rescue buoys and life buoy housings on Windermere, free of charge, just before Christmas.

South Lakeland District Council’s Lake Services Officer Frankie Flannigan said: “These are vital pieces of life-saving equipment and it is alarming that someone would steal them and potentially put lake users’ lives at risk.

“It is particularly disappointing because this equipment was brand new and had only just been donated. The theft has been reported and I would urge anyone that may have information about this incident to contact police.’’

SLDC owns the bed of the lake and also manages some lake facilities, including the 12 life buoys situated at various points on the Windermere lakeshore.

Mr Sidebottom, who lives close to Windermere, said he had noticed that some of the equipment was starting to show signs of ageing and told SLDC that he would donate brand new replacements, complete with either life buoy rings or a B-line water safety aid.

Glasdon also donated a number of replacement life buoys at other Lake District sites identified as being under the management of the National Trust and The Lake District National Park Authority.

SLDC Lake Warden Martin Dodgson made the Bark Barn theft discovery while completing his regular round of safety equipment checks.

Martin said: “It really is disgusting that someone would do this. This is the first time I’ve known any life-saving equipment to be stolen from around the lake in my 20 years working here.’’