'Vital rescue equipment' damaged at Tynemouth Pier

The Port of Tyne organisation has raised concerns Credit: The Port of Tyne

Vital safety and rescue equipment at Tynemouth Pier has been damaged by vandals, according to The Port of Tyne.

The organisation is responsible for the pier and had recently installed a safety line for the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade (TVLB) to use in the event of search and rescue operations.

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The pier is a listed monument which was completed in 1895 to provide shelter and safe navigation for shipping coming into the river.

The TVLB established in 1864 has been involved in many incidents in recent time, assisting people who have been swept off the pier or in trouble on boats and shipping on the river.

The safety line was installed at the end of November along the length of the pier on the lower level where there is no public access.

On around 10 December vandals ripped out around 400 metres of the line and destroyed the tension fixings. The project to install the equipment and provide safety harnesses for the TVLB volunteers cost around £8,000 andwill now have to be replaced.