Lifeboat crews ‘rescued’ two fridge-freezers after being called to reports of a wreckage.
A six-strong crew sped to a harbour in Cove, Aberdeen, following a call around 8.20pm on Tuesday.
However, when the got there they found the kitchen appliances, which they believe were dumped.
With help from HM Coastguard, they pulled the fridge-freezers out the water and took them back to Aberdeen.
The Aberdeen Lifeboat crew said they had to breach social-distancing rules to attend the call, with coxswain Davie Orr critical of the risks posed by their find.
He said: “Whoever dumped these fridges showed a casual disregard for the environment, sea safety and also caused a significant waste of search and rescue funds and resources.
“Fridges float, and can drift a long way. These two items could easily have holed a small vessel and caused a real emergency at sea.
“Our crew also had to break from social-distancing rules to attend the call, with the associated risks.
“The fridges were bulky and awkward to bring on deck but needed to be recovered to avoid another incident.
“We will always be ready to respond to any report of concern for safety at sea, but we hope the lesson of tonight’s false alarm will strike home.”
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