A York river safety chief has condemned the ‘unacceptable’ behaviour of a man caught on CCTV by the Ouse.
Chair of the York River Safety Group Tony Peel. said the man’s late-night antics on King’s Staith put him and others at risk.
It happened on a stretch of water which has claimed many lives in recent years.
Video
His behaviour at 2.45am last Thursday (24 April) was caught on CCTV.
The footage, captured by riverside resident Michael Neal, first shows the man climb over the safety chain at the edge of the bank.
He then descends down the escape ladder to the water’s edge, apparently hiding from his companion.
After she finds him, he returns to King’s Staith – only to hurl a vital life ring into the water.
The couple then walk down the slipway next to where the York Rescue Boat is moored. An unidentified object is then thrown into the river, followed by a series of very loud banging sounds.
Finally the man is seen wrangling with what looks like a bike found by the riverside before leaving the scene.
‘These are not toys’
Firefighter Tony, who is group manager for York & Selby District in the North Yorkshire Fire & Rescue Service, chairs the multi-agency York River Safety Group.
It is dedicated to making the city’s waterways safer for all.
After watching the footage, he told YorkMix: “It’s upsetting that individuals think it’s acceptable to act in that way.
“The safety chains are up for a reason – not to cross them. The escape ladders are there for a reason. These things are not toys.
“An individual putting themselves at risk like that for no good reason is negligent on their behalf.
“The consequences of that are far reaching, and they are consequences that we have seen in that stretch of river time and time again.”
Tony said if the man had slipped and gone into the water he would quickly have succumbed to cold water shock and the strong currents, and would have struggled to get back to safety.
Tony also condemned the fact he discarded the life ring. “Throwing the ring, that’s messing about with emergency equipment.
“Twenty minutes later, somebody may have needed that equipment and it’s not there.
“And if you throw anything into the river it causes hazards.”
He added: “It’s disappointing and upsetting that we’re seeing that sort of behaviour around the river, especially in an area where we know we’ve unfortunately had fatalities and had to execute rescues time and time again.”
Michael Neal, who captured the CCTV, told YorkMix: “It’s shameful that he risks the safe rescue of others just for what seem to be drunken antics.”