Sea around pier where young people died ‘shallow and dangerous’

A FORMER Bournemouth pleasure boat operator has said a beach where two young people died has never been more dangerous for children.

His warning came as an MP urged authorities to conduct a review of safety measures in place and to clarify the circumstances surrounding the deaths to end “wild speculation”.

A 12-year-old girl from High Wycombe, Bucks, and a 17-year-old boy from Southampton were pulled from the sea around the Dorset resort’s pier with “critical injuries” on Wednesday and pronounced dead at a hospital.

Dorset Belle, a retired pleasure cruiser, was impounded by police after the incident and a man in his 40s, described as being “on the water” at the time of the deaths, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter.

Dorset police confirmed that the man, who was released on Thursday under investigation, was not known to the victims.

The force has insisted there was no physical contact between a vessel and swimmers but did not rule out the possibility of a boat being involved in some way.

Pete Lamb, 70, who operated a fleet of three ships in the Poole area for more than 20 years yesterday warned that the area around the pier was shallower and “very dangerous”, and added: “The pier is a very dangerous structure.”

People are “drawn to Bournemouth beach like magnets”, he said. “There are always a lot of kids around the pier. The area around the pier is even more shallow than it used to be, allowing people to wade out even further into the water where there is more swell.

“If you swim under the pier it’s very dangerous. There are barnacles around and an aggressive tidal flow and swell.”

The RNLI placed a large red banner with “danger” emblazoned across it on the beach next to the pier after the incident.

Yesterday, the 49-year-old Dorset Belle remained at anchor at Cobb’s Quay, Poole Harbour, guarded by a police van.

Tobias Ellwood, Conservative MP for Bournemouth East, said: “There needs to be a review, the police are conducting their investigation, there needs to be a review of the circumstances to see whether any safety measures and protocols need to be upgraded.

“I encourage Dorset police to clarify the general circumstances of this tragic accident to avoid further wild speculation and uncertainty for parents who may be cautious about going to any part of the beach, unclear of exactly what happened.”

The local authority’s website states that passenger-carrying boats must obtain a licence to operate in the area.

It also states that from April to October, yellow marker buoys are set out 200m from the low-water mark to indicate that watercraft must not “go beyond 6 knots, annoy or endanger beach users or run ashore or launch from the beach.”

Parents visiting the seaside town in the aftermath of the deaths, spoke of their fears about entering the water.

Ryan Hutchins, 48 said: “There’s no way I’d let my kids go in the water now. It looks very rough.”

Mary Jacobs, a mother of two on holiday from Forest of Dean, Glos, said: “We’re being very cautious. Paddling only this holiday.”