Reckless jet skiers given temporary ban

Jet skiers who ride dangerously along Brighton seafront have been temporarily banned from local launches following a council crackdown.

Jet skis under and near pier makes it very unsafe to swim round! Dangerous! Council need to do something about this esp with research showing benefits of sea swimming to wellbeing @CarolineLucas @greenparty @BrightonHoveCC @BTNSeafront @ExtinctionR #bluespace #sea #seaswimming pic.twitter.com/sifeBexgtP

— Vicky Johnson (@VickyVj34) June 16, 2019

This video was shot in June by Brighton sea swimmer Vicky Johnson, who said the jet skier’s behaviour was dangerous and made it unsafe to swim in the sea.

Since then, the council’s seafront team has been talking to any jet skiers it sees riding dangerously, and if necessary reporting them to launch sites at the marina, Shoreham and Newhaven.

This week, Brighton and Hove City Council said this has led to some skiers being temporarily banned.

The council tweeted: “Our seafront team have been engaging with reckless jet ski riders, recording their tags and descriptions and reporting them to local launch sites with video evidence where possible.

“In some cases this has resulted in riders being temporarily banned from launching at official sites. The Seafront Team are continuing to work with launch sites at Brighton Marina, Shoreham Harbour and Newhaven to speak to jet skiers about their behaviour and water byelaws.”

Barbara Lidell, head of marketing for Premier Marinas, which runs Brighton Marina, said that nobody had been banned from launching there, and once riders were out of the Marina, the marina had no control over them.

She said: “We work with the lifeguards who have approached us on previous occasions with the registration numbers of jetskiers behaving badly.

“We have taken those registrations numbers and looked at our records and none of them launched from our marina.

“We would take the advice of the council on anything like that. Once they’re outside of the marina it’s not in our gift to control.”

Paul Richards from Sussex Marine Watersports in Shoreham said everyone who launches from the centre has to read and sign a list of rules, which includes not skiing too close to the beach.

He said: “There were a couple of skiers and the council came to us with the ski numbers they took, and none of those had been launched with us.

“We are the only place that has launching rules. When skiers come in, every customer has to read a set of rules and sign it. People have got to stick to the rules.”

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