Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) lifeguards at Aberystwyth North Beach in Ceredigion turned up at their lifeguard mobile unit on Saturday morning (24 July) to find that the roof window of the unit had been stolen.
RNLI area lifeguard supervisor Dylan Jones commented on the theft: ‘Lifeguards are very calm and professional people when doing their job, but this sort of mindless theft can make them really angry and upset.
‘The weather has been a bit inclement in the past week and the theft of this window made the work of lifeguards at the unit that bit more difficult. Fortunately however this did not affect the lifeguards operational duties and they were on the beach between 10am-6pm ensuring people were enjoying a safe day at the beach.’
He continued: ‘The duty lifeguards always remove their equipment from the unit overnight so no lifesaving equipment has been stolen but the RNLI is a charity that relies on donations for all its equipment and so it is particularly galling that the unit has been targeted.’
The mobile lifeguard unit provides a temporary observation post for the lifeguards who are patrolling Aberystwyth North beach throughout the summer season.
Ceredigion lifeguards have also attended a number of other incidents over the past few days.
On Friday 23 July, New Quay RNLI lifeguards rescued three people stranded on rocks. At about 5.30pm, lifeguards patrolling the beach went to assist the stranded casualties and ferried the casualties back to the beach on RNLI rescue boards.
On Monday 26 July, RNLI lifeguards Cass Brown and Sam Willmott gave medical assistance to an 85-year-old lady who had fallen and injured herself at Llangrannog beach. The lady, from Cardigan, was checked over by lifeguards, and then by ambulance paramedics when they arrived.
