Lifeguard chairs in Ocean City, Md., are under attack.
Since lifeguards went on duty May 29, several of their chairs have been damaged by vandals, sometimes up to six or seven a night, according to The Salisbury Maryland Daily Times.
The chairs have been pushed over, stomped and dragged out to the sea or to the street. Some have even been used as toilets. A few were damaged so severely, the only thing left was a pile of white planks.
Dick Malone, of Ocean City’s Public Works Department, said the stands are being damaged more quickly than they can be repaired. As a result, there’s concern there won’t be enough chairs to cover the resort town’s 9.5 miles of beaches.
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Lifeguard stands are heavy-duty structures, standing 10 feet tall and weighing some 250 pounds. When their shifts end, the lifeguards drag them further inland at night so they won’t be washed away by the rising tides.
Authorities said that’s when the chair culprits hit -- at night.
So far, no arrests.
It could cost the city thousands of dollars to repair or replace all the damaged chairs, according to the Times.
