VIDEO: Lives at risk after lifebelts are stolen

One lifebelt along the promenade has been replaced four times in two weeks after being vandalised and stolen. A recent incident saw a man cautioned by police after he was seen throwing one of the life-saving aids off Bognor pier while he was drunk.

Arun District Council and Sussex Police have condemned the criminal acts.

They are occurring along the entire Arun district coastline to leave the council paying up to 50 to replace each lifebelt after a potentially fatal delay of a few days before the new ones arrive.

The council has 11 lifebelts on the seafront between Felpham and Aldwick among its total of 35. Arun's foreshore officer Geoff Taylor said he was alarmed at the rate at which they were being damaged or removed.

"Each week, we must replace around eight across the district, and the number is rising. To have to replace the same belt four times in two weeks is ridiculous," he said. "If we carry on at this rate, there is a serious possibility we could run out of money to replace them and the public will be at risk as a result. We will seriously have to consider other options, if we don't see an improvement, as we simply cannot afford to keep replacing so many each week."

Sergeant Sharon Parker, of Bognor police station, stressed anyone caught taking a lifebelt would be punished. She used the case of a man arrested at 1.30am on October 26 after he had thrown a lifebelt from Bognor promenade into the sea as an example of police action. The male admitted the offence for which he received a police caution.

Cllr Roger Elkins, who is in charge of community safety matters at Arun, said the vandalism and theft could have a serious outcome.

"These buoyancy aids may look like a bit of fun. But they are strategically placed at dangerous areas along the coast to help save lives."