Scots lifeboat crews were called out to what was believed to be an upturned kayak, but on arrival they discovered a floating fridge freezer.
RNLI volunteers based in Kinghorn, Fife raced to Port Seton in East Lothian after reports of a possible boat in danger.
Coastguard teams from Fisherrow and North Berwick were also drafted into the rescue operation after the alarm was raised at 4.22pm on Tuesday, December 29.
Just over an hour into the search, volunteers discovered that the 'kayak' was in fact a fridge freezer floating west of Craigielaw Point.
Crews experienced icy temperatures and were stood down just before 7pm due to the treacherous weather.
RNLI representatives on the scene said the member of the public who raised the alarm "did the right thing" and that those who dumped the appliance caused an "environmental risk".
Crewmember, Mel McGarva, said: "We launched around 4.30pm and were on-scene 20 minutes later to begin a search of the area.
"At around 5.40pm we found a discarded fridge freezer floating to the west of Craigielaw Point.
"The four crew were very cold by the time we were stood down and returned to Kinghorn at 6.50pm due to the winter weather conditions.
"The member of the public did the right thing by reporting this object as it is very difficult to identify objects from a distance.
"We would ask people to discard of their waste responsibly as this callout could have easily been avoided.
"There are obviously other environmental risks from irresponsible disposal of fridges too.
"If you see anyone or anything in difficulty at the coast, please call 999 and ask for the Coastguard."
