OFFICERS have warned that lives have been put at risk after mindless vandals tossed vital lifesaving equipment into a Hampshire lake.

The orange lifebuoy was spotted floating in the water at Bishop’s Waltham ponds, the same spot where a pensioner drowned.

The rope that attached it to the waterside was left lying in the mud nearby.

A concerned resident alerted police, who have warned that those responsible have potentially endangered lives.

The foolish act comes after a man died at the same ponds, which are used by fishermen, in November 2013.

An inquest last year heard how a police officer had waded into the freezing water at the beauty spot in a desperate attempt to rescue the drowning man.

PC Jason Lawton went in to save Charles Vince after spotting his body in the water of the South Pond, dragged him out to the shore and administered CPR to the 87-year-old until paramedics arrived.

Hampshire coroner Grahame Short, recording a suicide verdict, ruled that Mr Vince, a widower who was suffering from mental health problems and dementia, was already dead before PC Lawton got to him. However, he praised the officer’s actions on November 4.

Sgt Richard Holland, of Bishop’s Waltham Safer Neighbourhood Team, described this latest incident as “stupid behaviour” adding that it was potentially endangering lives.

He said: “You never know when it’s you that gets into difficulty in the water and this behaviour, if damage is caused, could render that piece of equipment unusable in the future.

“The day you need it is the day it’s been tampered with.”

He added: “Especially with icy water where people think they can step on it, that device is hugely important. It’s potentially the difference between life and death.”