‘You wouldn't put the wheels down on an ambulance for the craic’

A Donegal county councillor has slammed the recent vandalism of lifebuoys in Letterkenny. 

Cllr Tomás Seán Devine told the Letterkenny-Milford MD meeting of a need to upgrade cameras at the Polestar roundabout after two recent incidents of lifebuoys being thrown over the Port Bridge in Letterkenny.

“Can this Council support my motion in calling for the camera at polestar roundabout being upgraded to record and help identify those responsible for throwing life buoys into the river and would help identify those who may enter the water as well?,” the 100% Redress Party councillor asked.

“I would also call on heavier penalties to be given out to those who are prosecuted for such acts of vandalism. This life-saving equipment was thrown in at least two times in the last two months or so.

“You wouldn't put the wheels down on an ambulance for the craic. There’s a camera there already but it needs to be updated to zoom in and identify people.”

Independent Cllr Michael McBride seconded the motion. He said: “This situation has been going on for a good while. Life buoys at Old Town and Port Bridge have been thrown into the water. Many a life has been lost at the Port Bridge.”

However, Cllr Devine learned that such upgrades are unlikely in the short term due to costs, as Seamus Hopkins, Senior Engineer, Water and Environment explained.

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“The Port Bridge is one of the 20 locations around the county that has smart ring buoy technology in place,” he said. “The system has been in place for over a year and during that time there have been no ring buoys taken or used. There are currently no plans to upgrade CCTV at the Polestar roundabout. Such a proposal would be challenging regulation-wise, as well as requiring significant funding.”