East Suffolk Council will not licence personal watercraft to avoid district becoming 'Mecca for jet skis'

An authority will no longer licence personal watercraft to avoid a district becoming a 'Mecca for jet skis'.

A debate was held yesterday evening by members of East Suffolk's licensing committee on whether the council should licence commercial operators of personal watercraft, such as jet skis and water scooters.

It followed a public consultation brought forward after the council was made aware of a business hiring out jet skis on the River Deben — the majority of the 377 responses objected to licences being awarded.

Taking into account the objections, councillors were prompted by officers to refuse to issue licences for commercial operators across the whole district.

Daniel Mayhew, co-founder of Suffolk Jet Ski Limited, the company operating on River Deben, said the business was helping to increase safe water usage and promoting tourism with customers from across the country as well as abroad.

He added: "Suffolk Jet Ski began hiring jet skis on the River Deben, sparking concerns among councillors about the safety of jet skis and the impact on wildlife."

Not all councillors were convinced, however, as several shared residents' concerns over the environmental damage the businesses could cause.

Cllr Jan Candy, the council's lead for community health, said: "We are, I think, quite proudly saying we don't want this damage down any of our rivers, not just the Deben.

"If you encourage one business to hire out jet skis you also say that we're open for business for other jet ski users. What I think we don't want to be is the Mecca for jet skis."

Cllr Rachel Smith-Lyte added jet ski businesses should not add to the damage load of those already using them for personal use.

Although the council can refuse to licence commercial operators, private owners can still use them as it does not fall within the authority's jurisdiction.

Other councillors argued although they supported a ban on rivers and estuaries, the proposals went too far.

Cllr Keith Robinson said a blanket ban across the district was 'too much of a big hammer'.

He said: "This boils down to a little bit of personal freedom and the human rights of people trying to run a business and make a living.

"We've got a lot of beaches and a lot of resorts that would perhaps do well at this sort of thing, so let's not close the door on them."

Cllr Mark Jepson said: "I personally have absolutely no qualms about saying no to jet ski licences in the rivers and the estuaries.

"I'm just slightly concerned we have this blanket ban when there could be the opportunity for businesses to operate on the sea."

After an hour-long discussion, members decided to support the recommendation to not issue licences, with five votes for and four against.

Cllr Candy added: "I do think we want to just say this isn't for us, we don't want to encourage it in the future and not shut that door for anyone who has a very special reason.

"We're doing the best we can here to protect our rivers and our estuaries and our delicate ecosystem."

This means although businesses can still apply for a licence, the decision's baseline will be one of refusal unless there is evidence of 'exceptional circumstances'.