An “explosion” of reckless jet skiers along the coast since the easing of lockdown has turned the seafront into the "wild west" and sparked fears someone could be killed.

Councillors are hoping to introduce a registration scheme for riders wanting to enter the water in Herne Bay and Whitstable, as well as fines for those caught speeding or motoring through designated bathing areas.

Heron representative Andrew Cook says he has received dozens of complaints from worried residents about several near-misses involving the vehicles over the last fortnight.

This comes after Canterbury City Council announced it had closed the launching ramp at Hampton ahead of this weekend and moved staff working there to the Neptune ramp.

Director of community services Suzi Wakeham said: “There is a small minority of jet skiers who are spoiling it for everyone else, so we need to take action.

“Before the coronavirus outbreak, we applied to the Secretary of State to change the by-laws, which will restrict the speed and width of the transit lane at Hampton.

"But this process has been delayed by the pandemic and we think it is wise to close it until we can better control water activity there.

“There is also a cross-party councillor working group developing a new registration and charging scheme which will further improve our ability to tackle problems and ensure our coast is still popular with visitors while keeping everyone safe.”

The change to the by-laws, which have not been updated since 1995, will see an eight-knot speed limit imposed along the entire seafront.

Ms Wakeham also says that more than 150 jet skiers arrived over the bank holiday weekend to use the local authority’s launch ramps, which is twice the number seen on an average day.

Cllr Cook, who is a member of the cross-party working group, witnessed jet skis “travelling at speed” within 300 metres of the shore between the pier and Hampton over the weekend.

“I’ve been getting about three complaints a day over the last two weeks – it’s been a lot more than you’d usually get,” he added.

“We’re not sure, but we believe we have a lot of people coming in from outside the area. I had a report come in over the weekend about a near miss from three separate witnesses.

“We cannot afford to have another fatality; the residents are warning us there’s an issue.”

The bid to improve water safety comes three years after the death of Jordan Lupton off the coast of Hampton.

The 25-year-old suffered fatal injuries when he was struck by a jet ski as he was being towed in a rubber ring by another.

Seasalter councillor Ashley Clark, who chairs the working group, says the authority’s public space protection orders along the coast will be reviewed and expects a consultation on the proposed changes to take place in the next few weeks.

“It’s not so much of an issue in Seasalter, but in Herne Bay it seems like the wild west. It’s quite horrific some of the near misses going on,” he explained.

“These people are hurtling around in close proximity to the shore on the jet skis – they have to realise they’re not the only people who use our sea.

“There are swimmers who are in fear and other users, such as kayakers and paddleboarders, can be disturbed by reckless and irresponsible behaviour.

“Me fear’s someone’s going to get killed by one of these imbeciles.”

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