Mount Maunganui lifeguards are short two quad bikes after they were stolen from the club's Mauao base.

Club general manager Leigh Peters is disappointed people would steal them.

Leigh Peters is grateful for the support of Bayride Motorcycles who have lent them a quad bike to use.

'These people have put the community in immediate danger,” says Leigh.

'We are the only emergency rescue service with all the equipment at the Mount.

'The ambulance services and search and rescue use us to help them get patients off the Mount.

'By removing the quads, we also can't get our IRBs down to the surf.

'They have put a lot of people at high risk – we want them back, undamaged.”

Leigh says the bikes are very distinctive.

'They are large, 550 and 450cc blue bikes. They are covered in our sponsor's logos and have roll cages that have been specifically made for us.”

She says the bikes were taken in the early hours of Tuesday morning.

'We have followed the tracks left by the bikes and they were higher up the beach.

'This suggests they were trying to avoid high tide, which was around two or three in the morning.”

As soon as the bikes were discovered missing, Leigh says they contacted Bayride Motorcycles.

'They originally gave use the bikes. That afternoon they gave us a second hand bike for us to use until the quads are found.

'It's not as good as the others, but it will do as a replacement.”