08 Dec PROSECUTION FOR BREACH OF POOLE HARBOUR RULES
On 26th November 2025 at Poole Magistrates Court, Mr Joshua Selby pled guilty to a charge of recklessly exceeding the speed limit in Poole Harbour on a Personal Watercraft (“Jet Ski”) on the afternoon of Sunday 29th June 2025. Mr Selby was instructed to pay a total of £1,932 including a fine of £666, legal costs of £1,000 and a victim surcharge of £266.
Harry Gregory, Harbour Master, said: “Poole Harbour Commissioners (PHC) will continue to educate users of their duty of care and raise awareness of the byelaws put in place to protect harbour users, wildlife and property. We hope this latest prosecution will serve as a further warning to others. The rules are in place to protect lives and ensure everyone can enjoy their time on the water safely and responsibly. If you break the rules, we will act and undertake an average of three to four prosecutions per season”.
PHC’s patrol officers wear body cameras and are also supported by a broad network of cameras and radar 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 https://www.phc.co.uk/report-an-incident/, where video footage can also be uploaded.
Speed limits are eased within some parts of the main shipping channels during the winter months to allow more efficient use of the harbour following careful risk assessment. However, harbour users are reminded that speed limits remain in force year-round throughout the majority of the harbour and at local beaches. Even when no maximum speed limit is advertised, water users are reminded that they can be prosecuted for involvement in incidents whilst travelling at a speed which is established by formal investigation to be unsafe.
In the past several weeks, PHC have also observed a concerning increase in reported near-misses involving leisure craft operating at unsafe speeds close to beaches near the harbour entrance. 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 the council’s jurisdiction, the area of Sandbanks Beach as far as east as Flag Head Chine (just east of Shore Road / Jazz Café / Easy Riders) 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 ensure a safe speed and always keep an appropriate lookout at all times. Swimmers are in turn advised to use high visibility swimming caps and tow floats. Participants in other watersports are also encouraged to consider use of high visibility clothing.