Only a quarter of lifejackets handed in to a safety workshop at Largs Yacht Haven were found to be reliable to use.

The worrying find exemplifies the need for boat owners and general water users to make sure that their safety clothing kit is fully up-to-date and secure.

There was a good attendance at the Easter life jacket clinic with 100 plus visitors.

A total of 57 life jackets were checked and tested, and only 15 of the 57 were found to have no faults.

Lifeboat spokesman Alasdair Woods said: "Unfortunately there are numerous reasons why so many of these jackets fail, for example, no light attached, no crotch straps, loose or faulty gas cylinders and much more.

"Lots of good safety advice is given at these lifejacket clinics, however, there is a lot more work to be done to get the message across about how important it is to have a fully tested lifejacket that will work when the day comes.

"Like all safety equipment, lifejackets should be carefully chosen with due care taken to ensure it is fitted correctly.

"They should also be checked and serviced at regular intervals to ensure they fulfil their function in an emergency."

The next lifejacket clinic at Largs Yacht Haven is on Saturday 3 August. For any other advice, contact the local RNLI.

Get more sea safety tips at www.RNLI.org/seasafety