EPIRB owners are warned to dispose of their devices properly after police and lemergency services had to search through a local tip on the weekend for a dumped beacon.

The 121 EPIRB (emergency position indicating radio beacon) was detected by Canberra’s Rescue Co-ordination Centre on Friday night.

The process of locating it involved officers at Canberra, officers at Water Police Fremantle, two police officers, two State Emergency Service volunteers, and two Sea Rescue volunteers, with another 12 volunteers phoned to be on standby.

A 121 beacon can be detected within only a 20km radius.

Initially it was feared someone may be in distress in the National Park.

Nick Clark of Sea Rescu used a handheld EPIRB detecting device to finally isolate the beacon signal at the Davis Road tip site on Saturday.

Wayne Baddock of Margaret River Sea Rescue said the police and volunteers spent about two hours searching with the help of a bulldozer before they could locate and deactivate the device.

Police said they believed dumping the device was an honest mistake, but that it had been a total waste of resources and could have put lives in danger if others had needed help at the time.

New EPIRB requirements come into place as of February 1, 2009 when all 121 EPIRBs replaced by 406 EPIRBs.

“Therefore 121s are no longer effective and there is the risk of many being disposed of inappropriately,” Mr Baddock said.

“Dispose of at any Battery World premises (special bins provided) or with Margaret River Sea Rescue (Wayne Baddock 9755 5579) or ask any retailer who you buy a new one off if they will take the old one.”