ALMOST 300 pieces of life-saving equipment have had to be replaced in the space of just over two years along the Coalisland Canal towpath.
It has cost almost £11,000 to replace the vital equipment along the watercourse, an officer for Mid Ulster Council told a committee.
At a recent Development Committee meeting, Sinn Féin councillor Nuala McLernon had asked about damage and the cost of replacing essential life-saving equipment as well as possible measures to deter future vandalism.
Assistant director of Health, Leisure & Wellbeing, Kieran Gordon reported back: “Specifically with regards to the Coalisland Canal, from August 2022 until the middle of November 2024, we have had reports of 299 items that have needed to be replaced, and this is at a cost of over £11,000.
“That’s mainly replacing the housings and any of the throwlines.
“We are looking at various measures. I suppose there is no quick fix in this and we are looking at educational messages as well.”
The officer said they would look at enhanced signage.
“There’s a lot of pros and cons with a lot of the different solutions out there in the marketplace, because you want these very valuable pieces of equipment to be accessible and easy to obtain if somebody’s in difficulty, but at the same time I think there’s a big education piece that we need to do to really reinforce how valuable these pieces of equipment are.”
He continued: “But it is certainly something that is very high up on our agenda. Our teams are regularly attending these sites.
“We encourage members and community advocates alike to keep raising issues with us. We’ll get down there as quick as we can and everybody’s support is welcomed.”