'Lifesaving' quad bike stolen from RNLI lifeguards on St Ives beach

The charity shared this photo of a similar looking quad to help people find the stolen bike Credit: RNLI Penwith

A 'life-saving' piece of equipment has been stolen overnight from lifeguards at Porthmeor beach in St Ives.

The RNLI Penwith team discovered this morning (April 14) their quad bike had been taken from their secure container on the beach. The quad bike is used to launch and recover their jet ski and quickly respond to incidents on land.

Guy Botterill, RNLI lifeguard Lead said: "We’re saddened that someone has chosen to steal from the charity, this is a vital piece of lifesaving equipment, paid for through donations.

"We’re urge anyone with any information to come forward and thank the local community for all their support."

The charity appealed on Facebook for anyone who recognised the vital piece of lifesaving equipment with the registration WK22 UOW to get in touch - and shared photos of a similar looking bike.

It comes as the RNLI is preparing for a busy Easter weekend, with the RNLI Penwith team covering 15 different beaches alone between Godrevy to Perranuthnoe.

The lifeguard are using a spare All Terrain Vehicle and so the charity says the theft has not affected the lifeguard’s ability to operate, and they continue to patrol Porthmeor from 10am to 6pm over the Easter holidays.

The theft has been reported to Devon and Cornwall Police and anyone with any information is encouraged to inform the police by calling 101 and using the crime reference number CR-031307/2.