{"id":1501,"date":"2026-09-08T18:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-08T17:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/?p=1501"},"modified":"2026-09-08T18:32:19","modified_gmt":"2026-09-08T17:32:19","slug":"jet-ski-concerns-at-felixstowe-ferry","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/2026\/09\/08\/jet-ski-concerns-at-felixstowe-ferry\/","title":{"rendered":"Jet-Ski Concerns at Felixstowe Ferry – 7th September 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

East Anglian Daily Times featured an article (excerpts below) on 21st August about Jet-Ski’s behaving dangerously off Felixstowe beaches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The illustrated Jet-Skis were caught on camera high up the Deben one March when there are no Byelaws in place (the 1980 River Deben Bylaws are currently in force May-September<\/a>). The Byelaws were designed for the human summer season and not for the overwintering birds for which the Deben Estuary is famous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.eadt.co.uk\/news\/26477958.pspo-tackle-jet-skis-felixstowe-felixstowe-ferry (EADT article 21st August)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

A legal order could be used to tackle anti-social behaviour on the water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jet skiers were seen launching from the section of Felixstowe beach near the Pier on 24th June. East Suffolk Council has suggested a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) could be introduced\u00a0to address growing concerns about jet ski misuse in Felixstowe and Felixstowe Ferry (“Felixstowe bathers disturbed by jet ski riders close call” EADT article 7th July)<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The measure comes after repeated reports of dangerous and disruptive jet ski activity along the coast and on the River Deben.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, a local resident described a “terrifying” incident near the Fludyers Hotel on Undercliff Road East in Felixstowe, where two men launched jet skis from the shore and endangered swimmers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since that incident, a Felixstowe Ferry resident\u00a0has contacted East Suffolk Council\u2019s community safety team\u00a0to highlight the “ongoing problem of nuisance, anti-social and potentially dangerous use of jet skis\/personal watercraft on the River Deben.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resident, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “I would particularly like this matter to be considered by the appropriate community safety and enforcement officers, as the problem now appears to involve repeated breaches of the River Deben byelaws as well as persistent anti-social behaviour and a genuine risk to public safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“In good weather, jet skis are operating around Felixstowe Ferry on most evenings, frequently at excessive speed and often continuing until dusk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“On some occasions I have witnessed them operating after dark.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Some of the individuals involved also behave in an anti-social manner and can be rude or confrontational when challenged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“There is increasingly an attitude that they can simply do what they want because there appears to be little or no effective enforcement.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said the activity is having a “considerable effect on Felixstowe Ferry,” with repeated high-speed passes, noise, and wash disturbing residents and other river users.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The resident added: “I believe some sailors, paddleboarders, kayakers and swimmers are now avoiding the area during the evenings because they consider it unsafe to be on the water while this activity is taking place.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He also noted a decline in seal sightings and warned that the greatest risk is that somebody could be seriously injured in a collision with the “high speed, unpredictable” personal watercraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

East Suffolk Council said a PSPO can be applied for, which is a legal tool used to address persistent anti-social behaviour in public spaces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A council spokesman said: “Our rivers and estuaries are there for the enjoyment of everyone, and we expect all inland waterway users to act safely and responsibly, observing local byelaws and speed limits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Breaching a byelaw can result in a fixed penalty and could lead to prosecution in the most serious cases.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Where there are concerns regarding repeated incidents of reckless or inconsiderate behaviour which poses a risk to other people within a designated area, a Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) can be applied for.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Given that this requires significant evidence of repeated and continued activity by identifiable individuals, and the capacity to enforce the PSPO, we will also consider what other options are available to us to ensure the safety of all users.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesman for Suffolk police said: “Suffolk police is aware of the concerns and have been responding to reports when it has been possible to do so.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOfficers are in liaison with partner agencies, the majority of whom have more specialist capabilities and the appropriate vessels to respond to this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuffolk Police does not have a marine unit but officers have been in contact with colleagues at the Essex Police Marine Unit to seek advice, as they have experience of dealing with this issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speeding boats can also be an issue in the Deben Estuary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Click the link to see a full copy of the 1980 River Deben Byelaws<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Click the link to see a full copy of the 1988 Felixstowe Shoreline Byelaws<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

East Anglian Daily Times featured an article (excerpts below) on 21st August about Jet-Ski’s behaving dangerously off Felixstowe beaches. The illustrated Jet-Skis were caught on camera high up the Deben one March when there are no Byelaws in place (the 1980 River Deben Bylaws are currently in force May-September). The Byelaws were designed for the … Continue reading Jet-Ski Concerns at Felixstowe Ferry – 7th September 2026<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1501","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-blog"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1501","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1501"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1501\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1508,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1501\/revisions\/1508"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1501"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1501"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/debenestuarypartnership.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1501"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}