Kerry County Council is being asked to explore the possibility of introducing tracking devices at lifebuoy stations along rivers.
Sinn Féin councillor Tom Barry made the call at the recent monthly meeting of the council.
Cllr Tom Barry believes these tracking devices would help stop what he describes as the ongoing vandalism of this lifesaving equipment.
He says there’ve been two such incidents in Listowel since Christmas.
In response, the council says inspection rates of these stations are categorised by Water Safety Ireland and range between daily (from June to September on specific beaches), fortnightly, monthly and twice yearly and the inspections are carried out by MD staff who also carry out maintenance/repairs.
Kerry County Council says it will arrange to have this proposal looked at again, but it says when it was investigated previously, it proved more effective in an urban environment where there is good connectivity; it adds it would prove very challenging to implement in many of the rural locations where ring buoys are located.
A funding source would also have to be identified for this proposal, the council says.
Cllr Barry says he understands it would be difficult to monitor in rural areas, but feels it should be considered and says every resource available should be put into it.
