Would-be burglars targeted Exmouth lifeboat station last night, causing £630-worth of damage.

The attempted break-in occurred between 10pm yesterday and 8am this morning, leaving a trail of destruction at the RNLI charity’s premises on Queens Drive in
Exmouth.

It is the second time in six weeks that the lifeboat station has been targeted.

On this occasion, the perpetrators failed to break into the secure building but caused more damage than September’s previous attempt.

In addition
to a smashed laminated glass window panel, the perpetrators attempted to break
open the large wooden door, causing splintering.

The metal plate covering a donations
hole was ripped off the shop wall but no access could be gained to the
recently emptied box inside.

Unfortunately, wooden cladding has been displaced in
the process. Meanwhile, the metal plate has been passed to Devon and Cornwall
Police for evidence.

‘Extremely disappointing’

Lifeboat
Operations Manager, Kevin Riley said: ‘It’s
extremely disappointing to think that somebody would want to cause damage to
our lifeboat station building and attempt to steal money that has been donated
by members of the public.

‘The crew and the local community are very upset about
what’s happened, especially as this is the second time in six weeks.

‘The glass
panel is being replaced yet again, but that obviously costs and spending money
on repairs is an added financial burden to the charity when we’d rather it was
spent on saving lives at sea.

‘In September, it cost us £470 to repair the
damage and it will be substantially more this time, close to the cost to train
a crew volunteer for a year.’

He added: ‘We are extremely
grateful to people offering to help, through our social media channels.

‘The
best way to donate online is through www.rnli.org.uk
where there is an option to type in ‘Exmouth’ towards the end of the process.

‘You can also drop off cheques payable to Exmouth RNLI, or cash to our boathouse
on Queens Drive.

‘If anybody
knows any details about these incidents, I’d urge them to contact the police quoting
police crime reference number CR/119397/14.’

£630 damage

A spokesman for Devon and Cornwall Police said: ‘We are investigating reports of an attempted break-in at the RNLI Lifeboat Station in Queen’s Drive, Exmouth.

‘It happened sometime between 10pm on 2 November and 8am this morning.

‘Offenders smashed the glass panels of the boathouse doors to try and gain entry to the building. A metal plaque was also ripped off the wall to try and gain entry to a donation hatch built into the wall. Wooden cladding has also been removed.

‘Damage values: Glass panels (£500), plaque (£30) and cladding (£100).

‘We are appealing for information from anyone who may have witnessed suspicious activity around the premises at the time of the offence. Anyone with information is asked to contact Devon and Cornwall Police on 101, quoting crime reference CR/119397/14.’

Photos credited to: Exmouth RNLI Facebook page