Dublin City Council has appealed to members of the public not to remove ring buoys from their location beside rivers and canals.
“Alarmingly, over 30 ring buoys were recently stolen or went missing in one month alone,”it says.
“These life-saving devices are critical for ensuring the safety and well-being of citizens and the impact of their disappearance cannot be overstated,”it says.
“As well as posing a significant threat to public safety, their removal also undermines the community’s preparedness for emergencies,”it says.
It says that it is a criminal offence to tamper with or steal ring buoys and the Garda will prosecute anyone caught doing so.
Dublin City Council has five ring buoy inspectors that inspect over 140 ring buoys every week.
