THE SPEED MACHINES bringing DEATH TO BRITAIN'S SHORES

‘If there had been tuition, my son might still be alive’ ‘Every time I hear of another fatality, I’m appalled’

headinjuries, a broken jaw andspent two weeks in intensive care.

‘To give a 12-year-old access to one of these incredibly powerful machines is insane — and to let an adult out on one without any t raining is simply asking for t rouble,’ she says.

Since Ian’s death Debbie has raised over £20,000 for the RN LI in gratitude for saving her life.

Catherine West, Labour MP for Hornsey and Wood Green and chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Swimming, is only too aware of the dangers after being contacted by a constituent who lost her 14-year-old son in a jet ski accident in 2014.

It’s not just the safety of those riding them, she says, there is the safety of others in the water.

Having spent a week near Sandown on the Isle of Wight this summer, she says, she saw first-hand how jet skiers put others off venturing into the water. ‘We really don’t want to ban these vehicles, but we need to give them the care and r espect t hey d eserve s o u nnecessary accidents don’t happen . ..

‘We need specially demarcated areas away from all bathers and other, slower water craft like p addle boards, as well as a formal training system,’ she says.

Some sellers and renters of jet skis do offer training, as does the Royal Yachting Association, but it is up to the user whether to take advantage o f s uch g uidance. ‘ Some jet ski hire companies or clubs insist on a training course and a competency certification, but o thers a re j ust i nterested i n t aking the money and give the hirer a quick talk through the controls and then they let them go,’ says Dorset-based Noel Hutchinson, an instructor at Get Lost Power Boat Training.

‘It’s a very irresponsible attitude but unfortunately it’s allowed. In EU countries, training ism andatory. T he b ottom l ine i s t hat it’s like anything else. Training makes the user safe. Jet skis are great fun and very safe when m anaged by a trained rider.’

In the absence of official intervention, i t i s l eft t o l ocal c ampaigners to seek change.

Two years ago, the Reverend Jo Thomas, 53, an avid sea-swimmer from Penzance, Cornwall, joined other local swimmers to log incidents involving jet skis. Now she has launched a campaign to change local policies on jet skis in the area, and has gathered 6,000 signatures on a petition.

She s ays s he i s s ent v ideo f ootage on a daily basis of near misses. To date approximately 200 incidents have been logged by 35 campaigners in the town.

‘I’ve been outdoor swimming since I was a child and the effect jet skis are having on the huge number of us who want to enjoy the water in safety and peace is nothing s hort o f c riminal,’ s he s ays. ‘We have to wear bright coloured hats i n t he w ater a nd s wim t owing small buoys with us or the jet skis drivers won’t see us.’

Everyone is ‘passing the buck’, she claims.

‘The G overnment h as p assed t he whole i ssue o f j et s ki u sage t o l ocal authorities, who then pass it onto the local police,’ she says. ‘But if you call the police and say there’s someone o n a j et s ki c ausing h avoc, they say it’s on water, so not in their jurisdiction.

‘The coastguard says it’s not a vessel, s o t hey’re p owerless. E veryone agrees something needs to change, b ut r ight n ow, n obody c an do anything.

‘If someone drove through a shopping mall on a motorbike there would be outrage. If someone is reckless on a jet ski, there need to be rules in place which mean they are fined or have their jet ski confiscated.’

Jo Thomas is working with Chris Jones, a maritime manager in charge of local authority harbours in Cornwall.

‘This is an increasing trend,’ he says. ‘Sadly, alongside all those jet ski users who are considerate and respectful of other sea and beach users, there is a small element who behave anti-socially,even dangerously.’

Jo claims one way of limiting the use of jet skis in Penzance’s harbour, n ear t he s wimmers, i s t o r aise launch fees. While there are many places users can launch free of charge, accessing beaches with a jet ski and a trailer can be p roblematic, and so many jet ski users choose to use slipways and h arbours for which there may be a charge.

In P enzance, f or e xample, i t i s £ 10 per launch, £40 per week or £150 annually for jet skis.

‘We really don’t want to stop jet skiers enjoying themselves,’ says Jo. ‘ They j ust n eed p roper t raining and specific, allocated areas where they won’t risk their and others’ lives.

‘It’s like child protection or S urfers A gainst S ewage,’ s he a dds. ‘We need a joined-up, UK-wide, multi-agency approach, or jet s kiers w ill j ust g o t o t he n ext p lace that’s cheap and doesn’t have regulations.’

The Department for Transport says i t w ill b e c onsulting o n f urther legislation ‘to tackle the dangerous use of jet skis’ shortly.

However, that is little immediate comfort to Therese Lupton. ‘For too l ong, t he G overnment h as s aid it is taking this seriously but n othing changes.’

Therese also started a petition to demand the introduction of a law o n t he u se o f j et s kis i n B ritain, but didn’t have the resources or time to drum-up the 100,000 s ignatures needed to take it to Parliament.

‘I wanted it to be called Jordan’s Law: to require training and a licence to use a jet ski, to raise the minimum a ge t o 1 8, a nd t o r equire marshals and lifeguards to be presentinareaswheretheyareused,’ she explains.

‘Every time I hear about another jet-ski d eath o r a ccident i n t he U K I’m appalled at how nothing has changed.

‘How many more deaths will it take before people sit and take notice? We’re behind virtually every other country in the world when i t c omes t o j et s ki s afety, a nd that has to change.

‘Holding my son’s hand while he passed away is a memory that will never leave me.’