LIFESAVING equipment installed across Renfrewshire is being taken away and moved by members of the public, it has been revealed. 

Renfrewshire Council installed the rescue resources, including lifebuoys, at locations near water across the local authority area. 

But on numerous occasions, the equipment has been removed completely or moved to somewhere not easily accessible. 

Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Police Division took to social media to plead with the public not to interfere with the items unless there's an emergency.

a post read: "As we approach Drowning Prevention Week, PLEASE act responsibly and consider the consequences of your actions.

"PLEASE leave this equipment in place as every second counts in an emergency.

"This equipment could save YOUR life, the life of a FRIEND or LOVED ONE." 

Earlier this month, we reported the family of a teenager who tragically died days after getting into trouble in a Renfrewshire river paid tribute to him one year on by raising awareness of the dangers of swimming in open waters in a new video. 

READ MORE: Aunts of William McNally speak in new video one year after death

William McNally was just 13-years-old when he died on June 5 last year. Days earlier he had been swimming with friends at the Clay Pits in Linwood, part of the River Gryffe, when he got into trouble. 

The Linwood High pupil was pulled from the water and rushed to Glasgow’s Royal Hospital for Children in a critical condition but died three days later.

His aunts Jayne and Claire Drennan created a touching video that aims to make all young people aware of the dangers of swimming in open waters.

Jayne said: “When we got to the hospital, they said his injuries were catastrophic as he’d spent, what they called, a significant period of time stuck under the water and the damage to his brain was irreparable.

“The impact of losing William has been catastrophic on the whole family. There’s a hole been blown through us that will never, ever, be able to be fixed. It is just a case of trying to get through the day really, and it’s been that way for a year.

“My sister has lost her son. My niece and nephew have lost their brother. My parents have lost their grandson and we’ve lost a nephew.”