A CONCERNED parent has called for action over the “poor condition” of life rings after finding one cracked and others with knotted ropes along Dovercourt seafront.

The dad-of-three, who asked not to be named, was walking his dog along the coast when he saw the damaged life ring.

The Gordon Way resident said: “I also noticed many of the life rings are in very poor condition.

“The rope that is attached to the item is in poor condition and also has knots that would need to be undone before you could even get it to the casualty.”

He said a lifebuoy at Dovercourt Boating Lake was also in a poor condition.

His children like to swim in the sea, so he said he was concerned to find a cracked life ring just days after two teenagers died after getting into difficulty off the coast in Clacton.

Malaika Shamas, 14, and her brother, Haider, 18, from Luton, were pulled from the sea but later died.

The man added: “I was just a little concerned that if it was needed and it was in poor condition, it might not work properly.

“I’m hoping the council will have a look and replace all the rings which are in this poor condition and hopefully it’ll save someone’s life if needed.

“It was very sad news about the two young people who lost their lives enjoying our beautiful coast.

“Let’s hope we can prevent this from happening again with more awareness about the dangers of the sea.”

A Tendring Council spokesman agreed ensuring seafront safety equipment is in working order was of utmost importance.

He added: “If a life ring is reported damaged or stolen to the council, then a member of the seafronts team will be informed and the life ring will be replaced by a spare held by the team as quickly as possible.

“Checks to the life rings across the district’s coastline are carried out weekly by staff.”

He said damaged or stolen life rings should be reported to the council or beach patrol station as soon as possible.