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Issue:-  02 January 2015

SOS call from Southport Offshore Rescue Trust (Southport Lifeboat)
Photos by Patrick Trollope.

OVER Christmas, thieves have stolen 2 Emergency Service Quad Bikes from Southport Lifeboat Station. "Our volunteers work tirelessly all year long to raise the funds to get them and this is obviously causing a great deal of upset to our volunteers. The quads have allowed our volunteers to access difficult areas of the beach quickly and safely and the loss of them means lives are now being put at risk! The thieves who have done this are the lowest of the low! We're also working hard to find some temporary cover as we sort out replacements with the insurance company and our supplier." said spokesperson John Shawcroft, from Southport Offshore Rescue Trust (Southport Lifeboat). "It has been estimated that each one will cost us £15,000 to replace. We are an independent charity that has no income from other higher profile charities like the RNLI. We do not get cash from the Local Council or Government, unlike the Ambulance, Fire and Police, so we have to raise the cash ourselves! The quad bikes have been saving lives on our coastline and the loss of them is a major blow to the area's safety. Without a doubt, the loss will be putting people's lives at risk! Our quads are used on over 50% of the call outs that we attend along the Sefton Coastline. It's not only the bikes that have to be replaced, but also the kit that was on them. Items like the VHF radios, GPS, along with first aid kits, mud rescue equipment and stretchers. All that now lost and the cost of replacing it will have to be found! Whilst we have insurance, there is still a lot of work that must be done by volunteers, when we should be at home over Christmas. We now have to sort out repairing the boathouse door and replacing vehicles as quickly as possible. Most importantly, no matter how much work we do to sort it out, or how much cash we get in from the insurance, the fact is IT WILL NOT COVER ANY LIVES LOST, should the unthinkable happen before we get them replaced! Please remember that we are a charity completely dependent on public donations, so this will also affect our ability to work in the future, as our insurance costs will also now go up! This selfish act HAS PUT LIVES AT RISK, so please, if you can help get them back, please contact us or the Police. We need your help to catch these people. We just pray that nobody gets hurt because of this selfish act." another member off Southport Offshore Rescue Trust (S.O.R.T.) added. The bikes are both brand new. Both are new red 2014 Honda Foreman 500 with road kits, VHF radios, GPS systems and unique winch mounting points.

Quad 1 - Reg. No PO14 LVA Chassis No 1HFTE4456E4000327

Quad 2 - Reg. No PO14 LVB Chassis No 1HFTE44534000351

They are said to have been stolen between 11am on the 26 December and 2.10pm on the 27 December 2014. If anyone has any information please contact the Police on 101 or Crime Stoppers on:- 0800 555 111.

S.O.R.T. have also said:- "Thank you for everyone who has helped so far, we have had massive news and social media coverage. Your support is overwhelming. Hopefully we will be able to find and recover our quads before anyone gets hurt."

For more information on how you can help our charity please visit:- Southport-Lifeboat.Org.UK.

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