Our award-winning beaches are in danger from anti-social yobs putting lives at risk – we’re taking urgent action
SEASIDERS are fighting back against anti-social yobs they say are not also ruining their resort but also putting lives in danger.
Locals who live next to award-winning beaches in Dorset have reached breaking-point with visitors causing trauma on the water.
And now even local police officers are taking to inflatables in efforts to crack down on bad behaviour.
Dorset Police – covering popular resorts such as Bournemouth, Poole and Sandbanks – have put into action two new “tactical watercrafts” to improve seaside patrols, the Dorset Echo reported.
The moves come after a surge in complaints about visitors using jet skis, watercrafts and paddleboards to wreak havoc.
Local homeowners have accused tourists of being anti-social, taking over swim-only areas and speeding on inland rivers.
Sgt Ryan Prater, from Dorset Police’s marine force support group, condemned “jet skis being driven inappropriately”.
He told how such antics “can cause a danger to others on the water”.
And he warned anti-social behaviour laws from on-land could also be used to order people on the water back to shore.
He added: “This is another great example of inter-agency co-operation with key partners to meet our priority of keeping the public safe in Dorset.”
The county’s police and crime commissioner David Sidwick said he was “pleased” to hear of the new patrols “to help Dorset Police take the fight against anti-social behaviour beyond the shoreline”.
He insisted: “Residents and visitors should be able to enjoy our beautiful country, its shores and its waterways without being affected by anti-social behaviour.”
The response follows similar concerns about young people’s antics along the south-western English coast in Cornwall.
Beach rangers cracking down on schoolkids enjoying boozy, drug-fuelled parties at seaside resort Polzeath have revealed some of the worst behaviour captured on camera.
And one of the youngsters lifted the lid on drunken and drug-fuelled TikTok beach bashes thrown there this summer.
Many come from private schools where they have just finished end-of-year exams, he said.
The area has been a favourite summer holiday destination in recent years for Conservative former prime minister David Cameron as well as Oscar-nominated British actress Helena Bonham Carter.
Concerns about partying youngsters causing summer chaos have previously been raised along the Cornish coast in Newquay, which was dubbed “Britain’s Magaluf”.
Elsewhere in Dorset there have been worries from locals about tourist “tent cities” and fireworks marring Chesil Beach, between Portland and West Bexington.
Meanwhile, the county’s village of Shitterton has been plagued by visitors stealing its street signs – while parking has been highlighted as a problem in the coastal town of Weymouth, despite having its beach rated one of the best in the country.
Weymouth has previously been awarded top prize for Britain’s best beach, even beating the Spanish island of Ibiza in Europe-wide rankings.
New research has, however, suggested the best-value UK coastal resorts for cost-saving “staycations”.