Vandals who tampered with Broughty Ferry's lifeboat caught on CCTV as police launch probe

Vandals who tampered with Broughty Ferry’s all-weather lifeboat have been condemned by RNLI volunteers.

On the evening of Saturday, April 2, three youths were captured on CCTV climbing around the lifeboat station’s security gate.

During a routine check later on, crew members found that the ropes securing the boat had been meddled with.

The davit – used for lowering and moving equipment on and off the vessel – had also been interfered with.

In an online post, Broughty Ferry Lifeboat RNLI said it took around half an hour to make the boat operational again.

The spokesperson added: “Such acts of wanton vandalism not only delay an emergency response from the RNLI but also increases the potential for lives being lost.

“The irony of it is that had any of the intruders fell into the water one of the lifeboats may have been unable to get to them on time due to this vandalism.”

Police are now investigating the incident.

A spokesperson for the force said officers were called to the station after the alarm was raised, but there was no trace of the youths.

They added: “Officers have now become aware of footage being circulated on social media and will carry out further enquiries into the incident.”