ABANDONED canoes are causing concern for police and rescue services in the area. Heavy rainfall over the weekend saw a large increase in activity on rivers in South West Devon as thrill seekers sought to take advantage of the conditions. Okehampton police said that throughout the weekend they received reports that unaccompanied canoes or kayaks had been found on various rivers in the area. When the police receive such reports their first and obvious concern is that there may be a casualty in the water or on the riverbank. They instigated searches on two separate occasions over the weekend only subsequently to discover that the canoes had been lost and not reported. On Saturday December 8, the police were informed of a capsized kayak and lifejacket found in the River Okement at Fatherford Woods, near Okehampton. Members of Dartmoor Rescue Group assisted police in searching the immediate area. At the same time, a separate police officer came across a group of kayakers from Croydon, who reported they had lost three kayaks. The group were able to confirm that that the kayak the police had recovered belonged to them. On Sunday December 9, a capsized canoe was found on the River Teign at Chagford. The police diving section from Plympton were deployed to the scene to assist local officers in recovering the canoe and searching for possible survivors. Several hours after this search the police received a phone call from a person reporting the lost canoe ? it had been lost the previous day. The police said: ?We ask canoeists and kayakers to act responsibly and inform the police immediately of the loss of any craft, including a full description. ?Failing to do do may result in a significant waste of time and effort by the police and other emergency services. It may also put members of these services at risk of harm, in conducting searches in difficult and dangerous conditions.?
