'Devastating': Life-saving equipment in honour of Shrewsbury man Shane Walsh vandalised

Several scratches were discovered on one of four throw line boards along the River Severn, which were installed after Mr Walsh was found in the River Severn and his wife Kirsty began campaigning for river safety.

The board near the Quantum Leap structure was unveiled by Mrs Walsh and carries an inscription dedicating it to Mr Walsh, who went missing in September 2017 during a night out in the town centre.

The four throw lines were unveiled on the anniversary of Shane's death, and all carry inscriptions for people who lost their lives in the river.

On Twitter, Mrs Walsh posted a picture of the damage and said: "Absolutely disgusted that someone would do this to the throw line board in memory of my husband Shane!!"

Speaking to the Shropshire Star she said: "It is devastating. All of the different agencies have all worked together to try and make the area a safer place.

"This is life-saving equipment.

"It is a slap in the face. That someone would go and do that is very upsetting, it is a senseless act.

"I just hope they haven't tampered with the board itself.

"I hope that the person who did it feels very ashamed of themselves, I hope they feel remorse for their actions."

Since Mr Walsh's death, Mrs Walsh has become an ambassador for the West Mercia Search & Rescue team (WMSAR) and campaigned for greater awareness of the dangers posed by open water.

She said the various agencies involved are working to get the damage repaired, and that she was determined to keep raising awareness.

The boards feature pictorial instructions on how to use the throw lines, and are set up at the four riverside locations that have seen the highest number of drownings, suicides and suicide attempts.

They are the result of a joint move involving the fire service, police, councils and the Samaritans.

Inspector Saf Ali of the Shrewsbury Safer Neighbourhood Team said officers were investigating and reviewing CCTV footage.