19 Mar POOLE BASED MOTORBOAT OWNER ORDERED TO PAY ALMOST £12,000 FOR BREACH OF HARBOUR BYELAWS
On 18th March 2026 at Poole Magistrates Court Mr Mark Jeffs pled guilty to a charge of navigating without due care and caution, leading to a collision with a swimmer off Sandbanks Beach, before shortly afterward carelessly exceeding the year-round speed limit within the Poole Harbour entrance. The incident took place on Sunday 12th October 2025 whilst Mr Jeffs was operating his 8-metre-long motorboat known as “Duchess”. Mr Jeffs showed considerable remorse for his actions and some mitigations were taken into account, but he was ultimately instructed to pay a total of £11,910.20 including two fines of £660 for each of the byelaw breaches, full costs of £9,562.20, £500 compensation to the victim and a court surcharge of £528.
The incident took place whilst a small group of open water swimmers (in training for an upcoming cross-channel swim) were moving along the coastline near Shore Road at Flag Head Chine. The tide was high and they were on the low water line, which is approximately halfway between the paved promenade and the boundary of the marine speed limit which is marked by yellow buoys during the summer season. The motorboat was moving from Bournemouth Pier towards Poole Harbour and was recorded by harbour radar at speeds of 20-30 knots, too close to the water’s edge. Whilst slowing down to allow a change of helm, the vessel struck one of the swimmers which caused minor injury and considerable distress. The incident was reported to the Harbour Master. Radar and CCTV recordings were used to identify the incident and track the vessel past cameras and to their berth in Holes Bay.
Navigating so close to the shore in this way creates an obvious danger, which sadly happened in this case. A collision with a swimmer is a deeply concerning matter, which could have had even greater consequences for the swimmer, who was understandably traumatised by what happened.
Harry Gregory, Harbour Master, said: “Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) will continue to educate harbour users of their duty of care and raise awareness of the byelaws put in place to protect harbour users, wildlife and property. The rules are in place to ensure everyone can enjoy their time on the water safely and responsibly. If you break the rules by navigating dangerosuly, we will act and undertake an average of three to four prosecutions per season. This incident also serves as a reminder to others that open water swimmers are increasingly in the water all year round and also that the 10knot speed limit remains in force within the Harbour Entrance all year round. This is re-confirmed each Autumn by Local Notice to Mariners which every harbour user should ensure they are subscribed to”.
PHC’s patrol officers wear body cameras and are also supported by a broad network of cameras including night viewing capability and Radars which record the position and speeds of all sizes of vessel 24 hours per day. Harbour users often play their part too; unsafe navigation can and should be reported by calling Poole VTS immediately on 01202 440230 and filling in an incident report online (at www.phc.co.uk/report-an-incident), where video footage can also be uploaded. PHC and Maritime Volunteer Service Patrol Officers log thousands of instances of education or advice shared on the water each season. Dozens of incidents are formally investigated leading to written warnings or interviews with a small number proceeding to prosecution as the ultimate sanction.
Water users are reminded that BCP Council’s 6-knot inshore speed limit applies year-round, including during the winter months whilst their yellow marker buoys marking this zone are necessarily recovered for servicing and to prevent damage by winter weather. As well as falling within BCP Council’s jurisdiction, the area of Sandbanks Beach as far as east as Flag Head Chine (just east of Shore Road) also falls within PHC’s statutory jurisdiction. The inshore speed limit here extends 100 yards further out than the line of average low tide, which is approximately 200 yards out from the paved promenade.
Working in partnership with both BCP Council and the Dorset Police, PHC frequently use radar recordings in this area to identify vessels reported to be operating unsafely, before tracking them back to their moorings or areas with excellent camera coverage where they can be positively identified.
Bathing and swimming at beaches during the coldest winter months is becoming ever more popular, so it is critical that boaters remain vigilant. Swimmers are in turn advised to use high visibility swimming caps and tow floats. Participants in other watersports such as E-foiling and paddleboarding are also encouraged to consider use of high visibility clothing.