Lifeguards are to return to the seafront in Brighton and Hove but only to a limited number of beaches after the covid-19 coronavirus restrictions affected the usual recruitment process.
Brighton and Hove City Council said: “A limited seasonal beach lifeguard service, adapted to take into account the covid-19 restrictions, will begin tomorrow, (Saturday) 13 June and run until (Sunday) 6 September.
“Lifeguards normally patrol the city’s beaches from the end of May until the end of the school holidays in September.
“However, the covid-19 pandemic and social distancing restrictions interrupted our usual recruitment drive for lifeguards and has meant we have had to adapt the service to ensure all seafront staff and public are kept safe from the virus.
“On a practical basis this has limited the number of beaches that we can lifeguard safely and reduced the number of available lifeguards.
“We have taken into account social distancing and introduced increased hygiene procedures and cleaning of equipment.
“We have recruited 29 seasonal beach lifeguards and a further 15 will undertake an induction process in the near future.
“There will be a lifeguarded bathing area on Brighton central beach and another in Hove near the King Alfred Leisure Centre.
“The lifeguard patrol boat will provide an emergency response, enforce byelaws for motorised vessels and monitor outlying areas.
“The bathing areas have been selected where there is the highest footfall and access to facilities for both staff and public.
“The bathing zones will be larger than usual to accommodate physical distancing while in the water and each location will have two lifeguard posts.
“Each beach will have two seafront officers on quad bike to support the lifeguards in emergency response.
“Initially the service will operate from 11am to 6pm.
“Extra signage has been put in place to indicate where the lifeguarded zones are with further safety information within these areas.”
Councillor Carmen Appich, who chairs the council’s Tourism, Equalities, Communities and Culture Committee, said: “The covid-19 pandemic has created enormous challenges for the seafront team and they have been using their expertise to develop a seasonal lifeguard service aimed at keeping staff and the public safe from the virus.
“The team have developed new procedures for water rescues, first aid and life support techniques.
