More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Angry jet-skiers are urging the council to reopen a launching ramp that it bricked-off after being flooded with complaints from concerned residents.
Canterbury City Council placed several concrete blocks around the entrance to the lane in Hampton two weeks ago.
This came after the spring bank holiday weekend, when more than 150 people - twice the number seen on an average day - launched their jet skis into the sea in Herne Bay.
However, Hampton resident Carole Butt says water sports enthusiasts are being punished for the actions of a minority.
“Jet-skiers in Herne Bay are saying they’re being penalised for something that’s not their fault,” the 55-year-old said.
“The majority of those who cause the aggravation are outsiders; they are not from the local jet ski community. We don’t intimidate anyone.
“The council have shut the ramp without any consultation and without any thought for the residents who use it.
“The reason for Hampton being overrun and manic over the bank holiday is because all the ramps outside Herne Bay were shut.”
Staff from the ramp at Hampton have been reassigned to the one at Neptune's, which the local authority says it can monitor better.
A cross-party group of councillors is hoping to introduce a registration and charging scheme for riders wanting to enter the water in Herne Bay and Whitstable.
It also wants to impose fines for those caught speeding or motoring through designated bathing areas.
Mrs Butt, who has been jet-skiing in Hampton for about 15 years, continued: “My council tax includes use of local amenities - and the ramp is a local amenity.
“The council need to start communicating with us; not just supposing they know what’s best.”
Speaking to KentOnline earlier this month, Seasalter councillor Ashley Clark, who is a member of the cross-party group, compared the Herne Bay seafront to the Wild West.
The outspoken Conservative also said swimmers “are in fear” and that he worries someone could be killed by a reckless jet skier.
Responding to Mrs Butt’s criticisms, council spokesman Rob Davies said: “The changes to jet ski arrangements are temporary.
“They have been put in place as a direct result of a number of complaints about some jet-skiers behaving dangerously, travelling too fast close to shore and putting swimmers at risk.
"In reality, the ramp attendants we employ only serve a tiny proportion of the district's population so a fee would be fairer, in that those who use the service are paying for it and it is not being subsidised by the general taxpayer.
"The primary reason for doing it, however, would be to make sure that we know who's launching, making it significantly easier to manage the foreshore safely for everyone."
Mr Davies also says that changes to the bye-laws, which will see an eight-knot speed limit imposed along the seafront, have been delayed by the pandemic.
He continued: "We were expecting them to be approved by the Secretary of State by now, which would have helped tackle these problems at Hampton.
“We carried out extensive consultation with beach and water users last summer, receiving 557 responses.
“This included questions about gating off Hampton and introducing a registration scheme for jet skis.
“Almost half supported bringing in a scheme, recognising that it would help us better manage water safety.”
