Work to make Isle of Wight beaches safer could involve a new policy on the use of jet-skis and other powered craft near beaches.
The Beach Management Strategy Framework (BMSF) was passed unanimously at the Isle of Wight Council’s cabinet earlier this month and sets the standards such as how frequently and to what extent beaches and slipways are cleaned, and how safety of users is ensured.
The council has a set way of managing the 35 beaches it owns or leases, that it says can be easily delivered and is flexible enough to meet changing demands with ever-increasing budget pressures.
In the officers’ report, it was noted additional work was needed to improve beach safety and equipment.
One of the actions is for the council to look at policies of other authorities and see whether it is feasible to implement an Island-wide policy on personal watercraft. It was also recommended to bring forward installation of safety marker buoys, subject to funding.
Councillor Paul Brading, (Lake South), said he welcomed the ‘long overdue’ policy and that it is the starting point to make the Island’s waters’ safe. He said:
“Long before I became a councillor there were buoys in the bay at Sandown. There have been lots of instances last summer with water-powered crafts constantly reported as getting too close to swimmers.”
Cllr Steve Hastings, cabinet member for environment and heritage, said the Island needed clean beaches, good water quality and safe places to swim and that is what the strategy will provide.
Another part of the action plan included formalising the ownership of some of the beaches — they are owned by the Isle of Wight Council but have not got a land title, which would allow for possible future development.
You can have as many rules as you want. You can announce them to the World to make yourself look good and appear caring.
But if you can’t enforce them, if these people rapidly work out they can ignore them without fear, it won’t matter how many buoys you put in the water or how many shiny new signs on a beach.
Or are you going to have council jet skis with blue flashing lights?
You are our elected council. Do something effective on our behalf for once.
Should make it law to actually wear there kill cords first, I appreciate the appeal of them, having worked in the watersports industry for over 15 years however you can’t help ignorance, needs to be more stringent licencing law’s than just advising to get a PWC certificate
Whats Dave going to do now charge another tax so they can give themselves another pay rise
A couple of idiots ruined it last year by using skiers by bathers hope your proud of yourselves KNOBS
“Beach Management Strategy” aka yet another excuse to kick a difficult task into the long grass.
Agreed, this needs to be looked at, but also rowers and clubs. Last year swimming in Shanklin I was nearly hit by someone rowing alone in his boat. Did not see me and missed by a couple of seconds. Could have been killed or seriously injured.
Did you see him and attempt to keep out of the way??
Rowers tend to be looking the other way, unless they are sculling! 🙂 And they don’t tend to be fast so they can be seen for quite a while before they get anywhere near.
Your head is not as visible as a boat therefore the chances are that you would see a boat well before the rower would see you, especially if you were under water for any of the time!
If you are in “shared water” then it is up to both of you to keep a good lookout. If you saw him first, yell, your head will hurt more than his hull!
I consider jets skies a noise nuisance, a further pollutant and a hazard to anyone who wants to swim. They’ve ruined beaches in the Mediterranean and as we have a lot of tidal variation around our coastline, I consider them dangerous to both the user,the general public and other legitimate watercraft. Unfortunately, there is a similar attitude with some users that they have the complete right of way in the sea – thus – should only be allowed, if at all, on specified beaches.
The big question, which has already been remarked on, is anyone going to police anything? – I very much doubt it!
We’ve got this the wrong way round, as in so many other areas.
Why should taxpayers have to shell out to protect themselves from the anti-social?
Now that we are so mercifully free of overbearing EU burocracy, surely we can take back some control and simply ban the things, so that if they turn up in a harbour or launching site they can simply be impounded.
Sadly you can’t ban anti-social and nuisance personalities.
All need to be licenced to pay for strict control on rule breakers. Anyone breaking the law should be fined and the craft taken and scrapped.
Any more signage, buoys etc is just a cheap weak, ineffective minimal action of which this useless lot will go for, as they get paid, whatever, and well.
Remember this at the ballot box next time.
thats all you lot want to do isn’t it….create rule after rule, after rule, after tax, after tax after tax.